Till There Was You
by ellikanellika
Summary: He put his shades up on his head and gave the screaming fans and flashing cameras his deadly smirk that wobbled far too many knees of girls and boys. His piercing red eyes scanned the huge crowd, not really seeing anyone.
1. Star From The Sky

_**Till There Was You**_

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_**Star From The Sky**_

* * *

He put his shades up on his head and gave the screaming fans and flashing cameras his deadly smirk that wobbled far too many knees of girls and boys. His red piercing eyes scanned the huge crowd, not really seeing anyone. Thousands and thousands of people were screaming his name, asking for his attention, and crying in happiness to have seen him in person.

He was the star.

He was Natsume Hyuuga; one of the most prominent musician currently popular all over Japan. And he was loved by millions.

His concert just ended and he and his band mates tried to walk through the crowd to get to their bus that they travelled with across the country. This was their last concert of their RED tour and the fans were going crazy. 209 Concerts in a year. 627 concerts in three years. 627 cities of Japan. And billions of money made. The band RED made their RED tour a huge success. Their CDs were sold out; their concerts had been sold out, there was no space for additional interviews. RED was the reigning band currently on the show business market.

Natsume and his band, surrounded by bodyguards, made their way to the bus and turned to their fans one last time to wave and smirk in goodbye. The crowd went wild as the last one disappeared into the bus and ran after it as it drove away. Reporters had to yell into their mics to tell the audience in front of the telly about the huge uproar. It was crazy. But for the next few months, RED was going on a well-deserved vacation.

The next few days the news were all about RED and their success, their past interviews, and life stories. While people were still talking about them, the members of the group were already skiving off on Taha'a, French Polynesia. They stayed there for a little more than a month and then went each on their own.

Where his other band mates went, Natsume Hyuuga did not really know. He spent his time with his best friend Ruka Nogi, Hotaru Imai, Ruka's girlfriend, and his other friends in Tokyo. His manager, his agent, and his other co-workers did not know he was already in Tokyo. It had to remain a secret from the press and the safest way was to keep it a secret from everyone. Officially, RED was still on Taha'a.

It was a sunny Wednesday when Natsume went for coffee with his friend. They agreed to meet at the cafe and then go watch a game, and currently, Natsume was walking down the street with his sunglasses, jeans and hoody over his head to hide his identity. It was strange for him to be unnoticed like that. He was used to screaming fans and curious paparazzi surrounding him whenever he stepped out of his – well, he could not say flat, because he rarely spend any time there; traveling around the country with the bus made the bus your home.

Right now he was staying at his flat that had his sister's name on so no one would know who was actually living there. His days were filled with writing new music and doing nothing special.

Natsume sighed. He felt great. He did not have had a night of good sleep since the tour started and these past two months were bliss. He casually walked towards the cafe, enjoying the peace around him, when he noticed her.

He stopped in his tracts and groaned. He pulled his hoody deeper down and turned away, but she and a few of her friends were walking in his direction, shopping bags of new clothes hanging from their arms. Natsume flinched at the sound of his ex-girlfriend's Luna Koizumi laugh and frantically looked around for a place to hide. She would recognize him in his attire. He had no choice.

''Dammit.'' He muttered under his breath in anger and rushed through an open door of the building he was standing in front of. And to his horror the girls decided to stop in front of that building to chat. Natsume cursed and walked deeper in. He found himself in one of the small Tokyo libraries. He blinked in surprise and shook his head in disbelieve.

''I'm so lucky…'' he muttered sarcastically and fished out his phone while he walked around, passing shelves with thousands of books. He called Ruka.

''You're late.'' Came the reply instead of a greeting.

''Mate, I'm in trouble. Luna and her girls are near. I'm hiding in a library.'' Nastume whined.

As an answer, he got a minute long silence. And then hysterical laughter. Natsume growled and rolled his eyes in annoyance. ''Thank you for you sympathy.''

''Man, that's hilarious! You do know you're gonna be hiding for hours.'' Ruka kept laughing.

''Come on, help me out. Luna and I did separate mutually, but we all know she would sell me to the press right away.''

''Haha, I'm sorry mate…'' more laughing.

''You're an assho-''

''Excuse me.'' A soft feminine voice interrupted Natsume's curse and he quickly turned around in shock, ending the call.

''I'm sorry sir, but it's not allowed to make phone calls in the library.'' The brown-haired girl in front of him told him. Natsume gaped at her. She was the epitome of a hot librarian. Long brown curls, big brown eyes, and a petit but perfectly curved body, wrapped into a red short-sleeved shirt and black pencil skirt. Then legs, legs, _legs_ with appropriate black hills.

She looked very alluring. And Natsume's brain practically stopped functioning at the sight of her.

''Uh…'' was his smart reply. He quickly closed his mouth after she frowned at him in confusion and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. ''Sorry. It was an emergency.''

The woman nodded and smiled. Natsume's hormones went wild.

''Ok, can I help you somehow? Any specific books you're looking for?'' she asked, her posture relaxing. Oh, she could help him very much. But he should hold his tongue. His perverted mind brought only troubles.

''Uh... Actually… I'm looking for-'' he tried to come up with something. ''-books about music…'' he blurred out as she patiently waited for him to tell her what he needed. She nodded and indicated for him to follow her.

''No problem. Follow me.'' She led him through the narrow corridors of bookshelves and showed him where what was. Honestly speaking, he paid more attention to her heart shaped butt that moved elegantly and very alluringly while she walked. ''On this side, we have books mostly for university students, and on the left for lower education. On the right, we have history, geography and other books. The music section is in the far end, together with Art literature.'' They walked a minute to reach those shelves and once arriving, she turned back to him. His eyes quickly went up from her lower body. He seriously hoped she did not notice.

''Here we are.'' She smiled brightly. ''The rows start with classical music, then modern sounds, history and theory and other.'' Then she raised a brow cheekily, making his heart skip a beat. ''You know… I think this place isn't bright enough for you to wear sunglasses. I'd suggest you take them off.''

Natsume blushed a little, but she already turned around and walked away. ''Bloody idiot.'' He cursed himself and breathed out. He put his shades off and threw back his hoody; carefully looking around if someone paid attention to him. No one did. He guessed he could look around. He sent a message to Ruka that he was still trapped in the library and then scanned the books.

He smiled to himself. ''This brings back memories.'' Of when he was still in school, and crazy to know everything about music. He was not the best student, but he was the best in the music field. No one could accuse him of being just a lucky talent, picked up from the street. No. He was a music expert; had a major in guitar theories and harmonies; and had studied musical theory. He had music in his pinkie finger.

He read the titles of a few books and went over the covers with his finger and his heart beat a little faster. The atmosphere in a library had always brought adrenalin into his veins. It was that intense feeling of endless knowledge surrounding you, and he enjoyed opening a book, smell the old paper, and read the content.

He pulled out a random book and opened it. Ah… The theory behind music notes. He loved this one. It was complicated as hell, pure maths behind it, but once understanding the logic behind it, music suddenly became easy. And very fascinating. He loved it. He sat down on a nearby bench and leafed through the book.

And for the next half an hour, he was lost in books. He relived his school days with a smile and went through the theory he once studied like crazy. He did not hear the librarian come take a look at him, so he jumped a little in surprise as she spoke up. ''Excuse me, I think your friend is looking for you.''

Came a soft voice from nearby and Natsume jumped in surprise. He looked up and came face to face with the beautiful librarian, who stared at him with big eyes and shock written all over her face. Natsume was sure she just recognized him. He was about to react somehow, you know, like run away or something, but then something unexpected happened.

The girl blinked and calmed down. With a polite and steady expression, she smiled at him and spoke up. ''I'm sorry to have bothered your reading, but there's someone asking for a man with a hoody and sunglasses. I guessed he meant you, so I came to tell you.'' She explained and waited for him to answer.

This was new. Such a calm reaction was rare. If you were such a celebrity as Natsume Hyuuga, you rarely meet people that calm – unless they are your manager. He nodded, closed the book and stood up. He sighed. Should he ask her to not tell anyone he had been here? Would she call the press?

He was about to open his mouth to say something, when she beat him to it. ''Would you like to borrow these books? Six months of membership is for free so there would be no problem for you to apply for membership if you wanted for such a short period of time.'' She explained and glanced at the pile of books on the table.

Natsume blinked in confusion, his red eyes taking in the female's petit figure. ''I guess that would be a good idea. Haven't read these since college.''

The woman nodded and stepped closer to the table, picking up the pile. ''Then come. We just have to put you in our system and scan the books and you can take them with you. But I do hope you're aware of the rules about how to handle library books.'' She talked while walking towards the counter, where Ruka was waiting. The blonde grinned at his best friend and shook his head in disbelieve.

Natsume shrugged. ''You know, lady, it would be easier if I carried the books. They are quite heavy.'' He raised his eyebrows in surprise when she rolled her eyes. ''No worries, sir. I'm handling and carying books every day. I don't have a problem with it.''

They stopped in front of the counter and the librarian walked behind it and sat down in front of the computer. Ruka chuckled at his friend. ''You seriously have issues, man. Hiding? Really?''

''Just remember Imai from years ago, then you'll know how I feel. And you're lucky for not being in this business.'' Natsume countered, noticing that the librarian purposely ignored their conversation. Ruka rolled his eyes. ''Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.''

The librarian interrupted them. ''Under which name would you like to be put into the system, sir? You have to provide us with your ID, but the name in the system can be a different one.'' She stared at him knowingly.

Natsume was once again surprised. ''Seriously?'' She nodded. Natsume looked at Ruka who just shrugged. He pulled out his ID and gave his real name. Both, the librarian and Ruka stared at him in surprise. ''Well, not that someone would ever look for me here.''

The librarian nodded. ''True.'' Natsume only now noticed the name tag at the counter. Mikan Sakura. He will remember that. Mikan typed the information into her computer and then gave him a few copies to sign and looked for a plastic bag to put the books in. Natsume signed with his normal signature, not the one he used as an autograph.

''That's that. Here are the books. You can have them for two weeks. If you want to keep them for longer, just call or come and tell me. If you bring them back too late, first you'll get a paper warning, then you'll have to pay a small fine.'' She recited and smiled up at the men. ''Have fun reading.''

Natsume took the bag with the books and gave her a half smile. ''Sure thing.'' He put on his shades and hoody and walked out of the library with Ruka by his side.

''That was strange. I'm used to them screaming your name.'' The blonde commented. ''Think she would tell?''

Natsume shrugged. ''Don't think so. We could sue her and she wouldn't stand a chance. She doesn't look that stupid to me.''

''Guess you're right.'' They walked in silence for a few minutes. Then Ruka grinned once again. ''Don't think I didn't notice your perverted staring. Sly dog, you. Set your eyes on her, didn't you?''

Natsume laughed. ''Shut it, asshole.''


	2. Bookish Nerds

_**Till There Was You**_

* * *

_**Bookish Nerds**_

* * *

And believe it or not, for the next few days Natsume Hyuuga read books. He jogged in the morning, went out with his friends in the afternoon, and then read until late in the evening. He was still fascinated with the music theory as he used to be. He got through the books in a week, and on Wednesday, he brought the books back.

Mikan Sakura stared at him in shock once she saw him in front of the counter. This time, she did not wear that hot hot _hot_ outfit. She wore comfortable jeans, a T-shirt, sneakers, and had her hair in a messy bun. ''Oh, hello. Brought the books back already?''

Natsume smirked. ''Yeah. Read them all. Still as cool as always.''

Mikan smiled. ''That's great. If you want other books, feel free to look around.'' She told him and scanned the books again. Natsume walked through the library and looked around. He would never admit that to anyone but Ruka, but he was a huge nerd. A nerd and a geek. If it were not for his music career, he would most probably end up as a computer freak with a love for books. Beside his guitar, books were the only ones making his heart speed up.

He looked around not noticing Mikan Sakura's eyes on his back. She could not believe it. The Natsume Hyuuga was in her library, borrowing books. When she realized who he was last week, she almost freaked out. Having a celebrity as your costumer was mind wrecking, but she stopped herself from causing a ruckus and faced him calmly.

Today he surprised her once again. She did not actually believe he himself would come back. She guessed he would send someone to bring back the books, but here he was. It was not as if she was one of those extreme fans or something. She liked his music and she liked his performances – well RED's performances, and she did like to read about them in the newspaper. However, she was also aware that he was officially still somewhere else and she should not say anything.

Still, her heart beat a little faster and she was very happy to have someone like him in her library. It was something she would squeal about and tell her friends about it, but she kept calm and cool. She needs to stay professional.

She glanced his way one more time, admiring his figure. Gosh… He _did_ look good. Very very good. She just hoped she would not blush like a teenager once he faces her again.

Natsume in the meantime walked around the silent library (no one noticed him for they were too occupied with their books), and checked out books. He took one here and there and leafed it thorugh. After a good hour, he came back to the counter where Mikan handled a few returned books and cleared his throat to make her notice him.

She jumped a little. ''Oh! You found some books. Great. I'll scan them in a minute. Just let me take care of these.''

Natsume shrugged. ''No problem. I can wait.''

Mikan quickly handled the other books and then took his. She noticed that this time, beside the music books, he also borrowed a few fantasy books. ''You know, I can find some books for you until next time, so you won't need to search for them. You just need to write down the genre and then choose from the offered ones.''

''Yeah? Then I'll do that. Although I must admit I like to walk through the library. It's… nice…'' Natsume told her, watching her work. She really was pretty.

''I agree. There's that adrenalin rush while going through these corridors.'' She smiled at him with bright eyes, enthusiasm written all over her face. Natsume guessed she gave him a glance of her true personality. She quickly got serious again and cleared her throat. ''You can put the genres on that paper.'' She indicated to the pile of small papers on the counter.

''All right.'' He wrote down his wishes and looked at her. ''But it's true. We nerds can't help but go mad for a good story.'' He took his books and saluted her in goodbye, a half smile now on his face.

Mikan bowed her head slightly and watched him disappear. She stifled a giggle, but could not prevent the blush to spread all over her face. She could not believe that her favourite singer talked with her casually. She was so happy she could scream.

She looked at the paper Natsume left behind and read it. He wanted many books about music and a few fantasy ones. It was strange having a hard-core musician, who had a love for books, as a customer. Mikan was a little curious about this man, but she knew she should not think about it too much. This was a level above her.

For the next few days, Mikan worked like normally and gathered the books Hyuuga wanted. This time, Natsume did not come on Wednesday but Friday. Mikan blinked at him. ''You're really a fast reader. I'm not sure I've met someone who read so many books in just a week.''

Natsume chuckled. ''As I said – I'm a nerd through and through.''

Mikan smiled. ''That's good. Although one wouldn't attribute that to a musician like- oh… I'm sorry. That was rude of me.'' She blushed a little and averted her eyes. Natsume shrugged and stared at her. ''Nah… It's all right. Just make sure not to tell anyone my secret.'' He grinned at her and Mikan laughed nervously. ''No worries. It's save with me.''

Once she scanned the books he brought back, she showed him the new ones. ''So I thought these might interest you. They are new on the market so I guessed you haven't read them yet. They're quite huge, but don't let it scare you. George Martin is the number one on the fantasy market.''

''Ah, that's the beard guy. I met him on an event – no idea where…'' he casually told her and laughed when he noticed her gape at him. ''You met him in person!?'' she exclaimed, but quickly put her hand over her mouth. ''I mean, yeah, of course you did. Damn… Did you talk to him? What is he like?'' she blurred out like a sugar-high child.

Natsume smiled. ''We talked a little yes. He's as cool as we all thought he is.'' He noticed how the librarian tried to hold back her squeal. She whimpered instead and it brought nasty thoughts to Natsume's perverted mind. ''Seriously… Man… That must have been… Kami-sama…'' she chatted, her eyes bright and a slight blush covering her cheeks.

Natsume fished out his phone. ''Look, I've got a picture.'' Mikan practically jumped as he showed the picture to her and whimpered a little. The picture showed a smirking Natsume Hyuuga with his band mates and George Martin in the middle.

''Damn you… Must have been great…'' she muttered and Natsume chuckled. ''Yeah, it was. You jelly?'' Mikan glared at him playfully and then rolled her eyes. ''Anyway, he's the number one on the fantasy market and I can say he really is great.'' She pouted a little and moved away.

''It's quite great yeah…'' Natsume smirked and laughed when she rolled her eyes. ''Then I'll take these with me. Though, it will take some more time for George Martin…''

''It would be actually weird if you read it in a week. Take your time. I'll just make it a month, all right?'' Mikan smiled and Natsume thanked her. ''Then… See ya.'' He saluted her playfully, put his shades on and his hat, and walked out with a bag full of books.

Mikan waived in goodbye and stared after him. She shook her head in disbelieve and smiled. ''I'm definitely hallucinating…'' Having a celebrity as a regular customer was something new for the young librarian. And having your favourite celebrity as your customer was a dream for Mikan. She was a fan of RED, went to their concerts, and read about them in the magazines. She loved their music and she loved Natsume's Hyuuga voice.

Having him stand in front of her was something that made her knees soft, but she knew she had to stay as professional as possible – because in the end, a customer is a customer. Maybe he will mention the library in one of his interviews, who knows…

As she went home, she thought about her customer and had to listen to his songs again. She always listened to them, but never too often to not get them on her nerves. She checked the band and Natsume Hyuuga on the internet and read about him a little. She was never interested in him in particular, just the band – but having had talked to him three times already, made her a little curious.

He was 28, and officially single – but that was not necessary true, of course. He and his band mates created RED during high school and since then, they toped Japan's music charts. Mikan knew she should not start obsessing over Natsume Hyuuga, so she closed the internet window and turned her attention to her big-eyed black dog Mister Bear.

The next Wednesday, Natsume Hyuuga brought a few books back, but not those from GRRM. ''I'm seriously taking my time with him. I think I'll need a month as you said.''

''But don't tell me you're reading all those books at the same time…'' Mikan stared at him in disbelieve.

''I do have much free time now, you know.'' The star rolled his eyes playfully. ''Doing sports and hanging out gets a little boring after some time.''

Mikan laughed gently, scanning the returned books. ''I believe you. What I don't get is how can you walk around in all these clothes in such a warm weather.''

Natsume shrugged. ''You get used to it. Better some heat from clothes than from running away.''

Once again Mikan laughed. Natsume liked her laugh. ''Ah, I remember the incident. You supposedly forgot to- uh… I mean… I watched the news, so I know…'' she started stuttering once he grinned at her knowingly.

''So… A fan huh?'' he teased.

Mikan blushed. ''Well… I am following music trends, so I do know this and that…'' she tried to explain, but she knew he knew she was a fan. Her face told him so.

''I can give you a signature.'' He teased again, laughing at her flustered face.

''Oh, hush you… I already have it, so there's no need-''

He snorted and she shut her mouth. ''I'll just be quiet now…''

Natsume shrugged. ''Nothing wrong with that. Anyway. What do you have for me?''

''Something old. Ursula LeGuin. Fantastic, I tell you. Read them all. You won't be disappointed.'' She smiled once again and he nodded.

''All right then. I think I'll finish GRRM next month, so don't expect the books until then.'' He joked and Mikan nodded. ''All right then. Enjoy them. That's what they're for.''

He bid her goodbye once again and Mikan patiently waited until next time.


	3. Shopping Adventures

_**Till There Was You**_

* * *

_**Shopping Adventures**_

* * *

Natsume walked down the aisle, his shopping basket still half-empty. He stopped in front of a line of different kinds of cheese and grabbed one. He then moved on to milk, but decided against it; it is just going to get bad in his fridge.

His hat hid his face from the many people also shopping at this evening hour, and even though anyone would recognize him if he as much as looked up, he did not worry about it. For years, he had been in this situation and he simply did not care about it. When he was younger, he enjoyed the attention; he still does, but not to that extend. He liked to go grocery shopping without cameras flashing his every move.

Now, years later he knew how to move and behave to stay hidden. Thank Kami for that.

He put a paper bag of apples into his basket and some bananas then went through the aisle with ingredients for cakes and biscuits. He stared at his list as he walked to avoid eye contact, which is why he did not notice a person crouching in front of a shelf of cake frills. The person stood up the moment Natsume walked past and he almost bumped into her. For a second he glanced up and heard a familiar voice apologizing.

He looked up and came face to face with a bewildered Mikan Sakura. She blinked at him, gaping, while holding a few packets of chocolate hearts for decoration. They stared at each other for a second before Mikan snorted. ''I knew you were stalking me.'' She joked and giggled softly. Natsume chuckled, surprised at seeing her here. He saw her in the library every week for a few months now, and meeting her here in a shop, felt strange.

''Yeah yeah, my fault. What are you doing here?'' he asked curiously. Mikan showed him her basket and he saw so many colourful packets of ingredients and cake decorations, he had to blink from all those bright colours.

''A birthday?''

Mikan shrugged. ''Nah… Just love baking. I always bake something and bring it with me to work. It usually disappears by the time you visit.''

Natsume smirked and looked her up and down. ''I see why.''

She gasped blushing, and glared at him, making a step away. ''I do not eat everything! And my figure is quite all right!'' she told him, crossing her arms in front of her chest. He stared at her in that strange way that made her nervous, and chuckled once more. ''It really is all right.'' He admitted, checking her out one more time, before he laughed.

Mikan rolled her eyes, her cheeks red. ''Ugh, men… One day you'll wake up in a hospital with a shoe heel in your nose.'' Natsume laughed more, but once a few people glanced their way, he quickly calmed down.

''Just joking, but you seriously have a fine figure, so…'' he scratched the back of his neck, unusually shy. ''What will you be baking?'' he asked.

Mikan smiled again. ''Chocolate biscuits. I'll bring them to the library tomorrow. I know we aren't supposed to eat there, but… You know…'' she grinned cheekily and shrugged.

''Sounds nice. Is there any special occasion for that?''

''Nah. No reason. I just feel like it. Not that I have anything better to do.''

''Nothing better to- what about socializing, have you heard of it?'' he teased.

Mikan rolled her eyes. ''I don't like to socialize much during week days. I've got to get up early every day and run a few miles with my dog.''

''Dog?''

''Yep, a black akita.''

''Nice. But I thought you're more a cat lady.''

''No I don-…'' she glared. ''You… You will seriously get a shoe in the face.'' She threatened but a small smile was playing on her lips.

''Yeah yeah, I get it. But I need this face you know.''

''Not my problem.'' She glanced around. ''Aren't you afraid someone will recognize you?'' she asked curiously, glancing around.

''Nah… They don't expect someone like me shopping here.'' He shrugged.

Mikan nodded. ''True. But what are you doing here?''

He showed her his basket. ''I'm hungry.''

She blinked. ''Why don't you go out and eat.

''Can't. Restaurants are too risky. I need to cook for myself.''

Mikan snorted and giggled. ''You can cook?''

He glared playfully. ''Haha, very funny. Of course I can. My mother taught me well.''

''I believe you. So, what will you have?''

''Curry rice. Yum.''

''Mmm… Sounds nice. Now that you've said it, I'm going to make that too. Where did you get that curry? I haven't seen it when I walked past that aisle.'' She wanted to know and they started walking.

''It's here.'' He showed her, noticing only now how petit she is. She was walking right beside him and he was a head taller. They stopped in front of a long shelf and Mikan had to choose between different types of curry. Natsume waited for her, while she chatted.

''Which one did you take? There are too many? Hmmm… I don't know… This package looks better, but then again the price…'' Natsume watched her and smiled to himself. The two of them looked like a married pair, doing grocery shopping.

''What do you think?'' she finally asked him, looking him right in the eye. He was not prepared for her huge eyes to practically swallow him in and was speechless for a second or two. ''Uh… The first one looked all right. I took the normal package.''

Mikan nodded and took it. ''All right. I have everything for the cakes, for curry, and dog food. That's it.'' She smiled at him. ''What else do you need?''

''Uh…'' he looked into his basket. He had his curry, cheese, and fruit. ''Cat food.'' He answered and made his way towards that aisle.

''You've got a cat?'' Mikan asked bewildered, walking after him.

''Yep, a ragdoll.'' He explained and put cat food into his basket. He heard the girl laugh. ''And you said I was a cat lady…'' he rolled his eyes at her as she still laughed. Then she suddenly stopped. ''Wait… You're rarely at home. Who takes care of her/him?''

''My sis, of course.'' They both walked towards the cashier.

''Of course…'' Mikan muttered and Natsume let her go through first. She paid for her things and waited for him. Once they both had everything they needed, they walked out of the shop and stopped outside of it.

''All right then…'' Mikan started, not really knowing if she should just say goodbye and go or chat a little. She wanted to invite him for a drink too, but she had no time for that; her dog was hungry and _she_ was hungry, dammit. It seemed as if the man in front of her was also not sure what to do now. She was a little surprised at his awkward shifting. ''Which way do you go?'' Mikan finally asked.

''Shibuya.''

''Oh, we go the same way then. I'm just down this street actually.''

They started walking, passing people without anyone recognizing the star.

''Should I not walk with you? If anyone took a picture, the newspapers wou-'' Mikan asked in concern.

''Nah, no problem. I mean, yeah, it would be a problem if they caught me with someone, because it would make problems for you with all that press, but no one will recognize me. I know how to stay hidden.'' He smiled, glancing at her and Mikan had a hard time not blushing like the crazy fan she was. And like the girl she was. Quite honestly, she really had a crush on him. She did not know what kind of crush, romantic of just as a fan, but she had a crush on him – that was sure.

''Unless you want your five minutes of fame.''

''Uh… No, thank you. I'm happy being invisible. No reporters for me, please.''

Natsume laughed. ''Makes you feel uncomfortable, eh?''

Mikan shifted awkwardly. ''Well… I mean, it would be nice to have your name in the papers I guess, but not for that reason. I mean – if I were a famous writer and such, that would be a part of my job, I guess. But being a paparazzi victim… That's just… I don't know, has never happened to me before so…''

''Be glad about it… It is a part of the job, yeah, but not that fun to handle. Especially with all those people who'd do anything to get into the papers.''

''Must be tough being someone that known.''

''It is. But it's great too.''

''I can imagine.'' Mikan stopped in front of an apartment building. ''Well, here's my stop.''

Natsume looked at the building. It looked nice with a clean neighbourhood. It was also quite tall with a view on the park nearby.

''Thank you for the company and see you in the library.'' She smiled at him and he smirked back, saluting her in goodbye. ''See ya.'' He watched her walk into the building and then made his way towards his place. Only now did he realize that they did not address each other by names. Not once. He guessed she was considerate and did not mention his name in public, because it might stir unwanted attention. Still, her name was right on the tip of his tongue and he wished he would have an excuse for saying it aloud.

Maybe…

One of these days…

Who knows…


	4. The Star among Dust

_**Till There Was You**_

* * *

_**The Star among Dust**_

* * *

Every week, Natsume Hyuuga came into the library to borrow books. It became a part of his routine and he liked it – not only because he loved books, but also because he liked a certain person working there. He did not admit it to himself yet, but his mind was already whispering to him that he was slowly walking towards her direction.

There was one week he walked into the library and he did not see her behind the counter. His heart fell for a moment until he heard her voice from somewhere behind the shelves. He tiptoed to the spot and watched her from the other side. He had to smile at seeing the scene in front of her.

''Now, who wants to read the prince's part?'' she asked with a kind smile, the group of small children enthusiastically raising their hands.

''Me!'' they called over each other, almost jumping on their small chairs. They looked so happy with their eyes big and bright, their voices high and pitchy. Mikan smiled gently at them and choose one of the boys.

''And who wants to be the princes?'' she asked the few girls in the group – they were all sitting in a circle, all having an open book on their laps. The girls too raised their hands. Mikan choose one.

''All right, and I will read the story. You ready?'' she put a hair curl behind her ear and Natsume's heart skipped a beat. She looked to beautiful surrounded by children. Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

''The evil king chased her out of the kingdom and she had no choice but to run away.'' She spoke with a deep, dramatic voice that kept the children on their toes. They were looking at her with big, expecting eyes, drinking in everything she told them.

''The princes hid herself in the deep, dark forest. She was alone and scared, and she did not know what to do.'' Mikan looked at the girl who had to read the princes and the little girl read.

Natsume watched the reading session and was fascinated with the way Mikan was handling the children. They were all in love with her and he felt that if she gave so much attention to him, he would not stand a chance against her. She was so gentle and innocent that he could not help himself but feel attracted.

He was about to move away and go home, when Mikan glanced his way. Her eyes widened as she noticed him and she held her hand in the air to tell him to wait a moment.

''Who wants to be the storyteller?'' they all wanted and she laughed. ''What do you say that each one of you reads a line? All right?'' They all enthusiastically agreed and she stood up, telling them she would be right back. They kept reading without her.

Once she reached him, she smiled brightly. ''Hello. I'm sorry I wasn't at the counter. We have a reading session for the children today and-''

''It's all right. I brought the books back I finished. I still have a few to read, so no problem.'' He interrupted her gently, still feeling that strong warmth in his chest.

Mikan sensed the change, but did not comment on it. ''Great. But I do have one book prepared for you. Come.'' She indicated for him to follow her and he did. Once they arrived at one of the book shelves, Mikan searched for a book and pulled it out.

''Here. Tales of Otori. Wonderful thing. You will want to read it.'' She gave him the three books and he looked at them, then at her. ''They don't have the library code on it.'' He noticed.

''They're mine. They're all borrowed already so I decided to lend you mine.'' She smiled shyly.

He was surprised, but very happy. ''Really? Thank you. I will take good care of it.'' He grinned at her and noticed she averted her eyes. He wanted to ask if something was wrong, but then noticed the gentle blush on her face. It made him feel fantastic.

She cleared her throat. ''All right then. I have to go back to the children. Please take care of the books and I'd love to have a discussion about them sometime.''

''Sure.'' They walked back down the aisle where the children were still reading.

''You're great with children.'' He told her.

''Thank you. I love them. And I love to show them the wonders of literature. This group here is very enthusiastic.'' She smiled.

''I noticed.'' He laughed and then scratched the back of his neck. ''All right then. Don't want to disturb anymore.''

''Oh no, you aren't. I would ask you to join us if it weren't for the fact that you-''

''Yeah… Someone could see me.'' He shrugged. ''Ok, Thanks for the books. I'll bring them back safely next time.'' He smirked, walking towards the exit. He heard her say 'bye' and glanced her way one more time, realizing, she was watching him go. He waived one more time and then walked out.

A few weeks later, things changed again.

It was a great morning for Natsume Hyuuga. His manager called him that after his almost one year long vacation, his group would give 20 more concerts and interviews – and that would be just the beginning. He should enjoy freedom now that he still has it. After the vacation, work was guaranteed.

Natsume also used this time to think of new songs. He already had a few ideas. He had two melodies and lyrics for six different songs. He did not like them yet, there was still something off, something missing, they were just words in a perfect form, but… To put it frankly, he was an artist, and artist needed the feeling… You know… When you create something, you need to feel it, associate it with something, someone, but he still does not. There is a form building in his mind, but it is still just a form, not something that would make his heart beat a little faster.

As usually, he sought inspiration in the morning while jogging through the park. The fresh air, the quiet, and the calm atmosphere always made him feel content. It was not perfect because he still had to wear sunglasses and his hat, but it was better than being in a gym.

This morning too he jogged in the park and thought about different things. He thought about his career, his band, and his life in general. He also thought about Mikan Sakura, the hot librarian girl that made him feel confused. She was a beautiful and smart woman, but he knew nothing about her. He guessed she was a fan because she knew a few things about him, but he did not know what kind of a fan. There were people who went to his concerts, sang his songs, and screamed his name. There were also people who wrote him fan letters, tried to make any kind of contact with him, and told him they loved him. And then there were people who stalked him, were obsessed with him.

Another group; however, were people who just wanted his fame. They loved him as long as he was popular, because it would make them popular if they were associated with him. He met many people like that and he did not held grudges, because it was part of a job. But it made him insecure at times. Because there were people who seemed really all right. And in the end they were not. And it made him sad.

It was strange to have met a person like the librarian Mikan Sakura. She not only seemed all right, she actually did not tell a person about having met him. She even avoided addressing him by name. It was something new for him. Of course, he also met people who did not lose their mind when they met him, but those were usually people working in the same branch. Mikan Sakura was from another world if you put it like that. And maybe it was this that made him notice her more.

While his thoughts swirled around, Natsume jogged through the park, passing a few other joggers, some older people, and those who took their dogs for a morning walk. No one even glanced at him. He was invisible. And he loved it.

He just jogged past a woman who jogged with her akita dog, and his mind did not make the connection until her perfume reached his nose. His eyes widened in surprise and he stopped, abruptly turning around, seeing her run the opposite way.

''Sakura-san!'' he called, addressing her by name for the first time. It made him feel something. The female stopped and turned around in shock, her dog waiting and waging its tail. ''Mother of god…'' he heard her say. Then she smiled and walked towards him, her dog right next to her.

''I can't believe it.'' She stopped in front of him, a little out of breath and red in the face.

''I should be saying that.'' Natsume grinned and relaxed, glancing at the dog. Mikan noticed this and told the dog to sit. It did and waited. ''This is Mr Bear. Mr Bear, this is Hyuuga-san.'' She introduced and told Bear to give Natsume his paw. He did. Natsume laughed when he shook his hand with the dog's paw and his breath hitched when he heard her say his name.

''Hello, Mr Bear.'' He scratched the dog behind its ears and it made a sound of pure pleasure. Mikan laughed. ''Good, you got a new friend.'' She looked at Natsume then and his heart skipped a beat. She was here, in her jogging clothes, her hair in a high ponytail, her face flushed.

''I'll start thinking you're really stalking me.'' She joked and Natsume shrugged. ''Tokyo isn't that big if you live nearby. So you were serious when you said you wake up early.''

''Of course. Mr Bear and I go for a run every morning. He needs it because I work almost the whole day.''

''That makes sense. I usually run just twice or thrice a week. How come I've never seen you here before.'' He asked curious.

Mikan shrugged. ''Not sure. We're here every morning. I guess one doesn't notice if he doesn't search. How in the world did you see me today? I didn't notice you at all…''

Natsume smiled sheepishly, hiding his embarrassment. He could hardly tell her he smelled her, for Kami-sama's sake. ''Uh… I… I coincidentally looked up the moment you passed me and well…''

Mikan nodded, accepting his answer and smiled. ''This is really a surprize. What's your distance? Or time?''

''Don't really know, I run for an hour or so. What time is it?'' he shrugged and glanced at her watch. Mikan took a look and nodded to herself. ''Eight. I still have half an hour. Want to run with me or are you finished for today?'' she asked and Natsume blinked in surprise. He hid it right away and grinned. Never has a fan of his asked him if he wanted to run with her. This woman was really interesting. ''Sure.''

They took her route and jogged, Mr Bear in the middle. ''Does Mr Bear manage to run the whole time?'' he chuckled then. ''Mr Bear… Where did the idea for this name come from?''

Mr Bear glanced at him and waged his tail, a soft bark escaping his mouth. Mikan playfully glared at him. ''Well if you must know, Mr Bear got his name after my teddy bear that I lost when I was a child. It meant a lot to me and Bear means even more to me, so he's Mr Bear. And he's all fluffy and cute, and just like a bear. I could cuddle with him nonstop!'' she explained, a smile making its way on her face, while she looked at her dog.

''A teddy bear, really?'' Natsume wanted to make fun of her, but he would wait a little, to get an explanation. Mikan glanced at him, for a moment a reserved expression on her face.

''Yeah, my parents got me the teddy bear before they passed away, so… Anyway, he was very important, but I lost him when I was 9, so…'' she quickly explained and smiled again.

This… was something deep… Natsume realized. So she was an orphan. What she told him was quite personal. Should he ask for more information? ''How old were you when-''

''Three. I grew up in an orphanage. It was a nice place, so no worries. So this is why Mr Bear is Mr Bear. I found him injured four years ago. He was such a small puppy. Some idiots beat him and injured his left eye – he can't see with it. Then I adopted him and voila, we've become a nice pair.''

Natsume smiled at her, but thought about what she had told him. She explained it as if it were not a big deal, but he knew she had to grow up far too soon. He felt good now that he knew more about her. He wanted to know more of course, but he did not know if it appropriate to ask.

It would wait.

''I also found my cat on the street. Though she wasn't injured. She was a stray cat that always followed me around, so I took her in. I wasn't quite honest last time. I actually have her with me on tour.'' He admitted and smiled sheepishly.

Mikan's eyes widened and she smiled. ''Really? That's so cool. You're allowed to have her with you? I wish I could take Bear with me to the library…''

''Of course I can have her. I can do whatever I want, actually.'' He smirked. He laughed when she rolled her eyes. Bear barked happily. ''She always sleeps on my back or on my face. I guess she's my boss.''

Mikan laughed and Natsume felt the familiar warmth spread all over his chest. It was that feeling. The feeling he was missing. Her voice was soft and girly, and he had the urge to take her hand and pull her closer, sniffing that wonderful perfume she used.

''That's great. Good girl you have. But I'll be honest. Bear here also like to take my bed. He's a little too big to throw himself on me, but there are mornings I find his snout on my shoulder, his saliva dripping down my arm, while he groans in sleep.'' Natsume laughed and imagined the scene, while Bear barked as if knowing what they were talking about.

They reached the end of the park and jogged out, up the street towards Mikan's apartment complex. They stopped in front of it and Mikan smiled at him. ''Thanks for the company, once again. I'll find a nice book for you until next time.''

Natsume gave her a confident half-smile. ''Ok, then see you then.'' He saluted and jogged down the street, feeling her eyes on his back.

As he came home, showered and ate something, he looked Mikan Sakura up on Facebook. She really had a profile there. He checked it out and learned a few things about her. She was a 26, single, and had 594 friends. The majority of her photos had her and her dog in it. There were a few of her traveling and there were those that made him chuckle. She had been on one of his concerts, wearing RED T-shirt, smiling into the camera as if she was the happiest person alive. There were two other women on each of her side, having their arms around each other, standing in front of the bright stage where RED was about to perform. They were far from the stage, but close enough to be able to see RED.

Natsume leaned back on his chair, staring at the girl's picture. She was beautiful. She had a wonderful smile and a wonderful body. She was also nice to talk to and he had no problem listening to what she had to say. He would have nothing against starting something with her.

He blinked in realization.

Just what was he doing?

Did he really have intentions with her?

Would it be all right?

She was a nice girl and all, but she was also his fan.

And he did not even know if she was romantically attracted to him.

He sighed. It had been a long time since a girl that was not a celebrity caught his attention in that way… And caused emotional turmoil for him.

It had been a long time since he was nervous around a girl, and it seemed she was that one girl that made him nervous again.

What now?


	5. The Sky Collapses

_**Till There Was You**_

* * *

_**The Sky Collapses**_

* * *

Natsume practically skipped to the library, hardly waiting to see her. He simply could not help himself. While he was stalking the girl on Facebook, he realized that his behaviour was not normal. At least not normal for supposed acquaintances or friends. The way he was behaving was more like being in love…

But was he?

Not yet. But he was getting there. He seriously liked her and he decided that he is going to ask her out today. On a date. On a serious date. Maybe even tell her to bring Mr Bear with her, so the dog would not be alone. He did not really have a plan yet, but he was going to come up with one once he walks into the library.

Most probably, he will stop thinking as soon as he sees her smile, but who cares. He can stutter his way out dammit.

He had been going through her Facebook photo albums and could not help himself but admire her. She and her friends were traveling a lot and on each of the pictures, she looked beautiful. At least to him. And when he thought about the way she spoke and they she sounded and smelled… His world changed at that moment. He felt like flying. He had to put down the words and the melody and he had a new song.

He admitted. He was smitten with her.

And today, he would ask her out.

As he walked into the library, his whole body reacted as he saw her. She looked up and her eyes paralyzed him, made him lose breath, and he stopped thinking.

''Hey…'' Mikan greeted him with a soft smile as he walked into the library. Natsume smiled back at her, looking cool and confident and Mikan could not help but feel her heart beat a little faster.

''Hey… What do you have for me today?'' he stared at her with his steady red eyes, making her hands and legs shake a little. He made her very nervous and not because he was the star of Japan, but because he was he. The way he was; how he looked like, how he behaved, how he smelled, spoke, moved… He made her feel like a love-sick girl.

He stopped in front of the counter and leaned on it, watching her move around. She had thick books all around the counter and she started putting them together. ''Plenty, actually. So here's GRRM's next book, a few from Tolkien, and others are from authors that aren't that known – but they are also really good.'' She explained through her word diarrhoea. She was blushing all over her face and she looked confused. Natsume grinned at her, as if knowing exactly what was going on with her. He most probably did of course. He did know quite a lot about girls. And this one in particular seemed quite sensitive to his presence.

He leaned a little closer and heard her breath hitch. She quickly moved back and hit a box of books with the back of her leg. A few books fell to the floor for the pile was bigger than the box and Mikan crouched down cursing. She heard the man on the other side of the counter laugh and playfully glared at him. He winked at her and moved away from the counter to walk around it to help her. But before he could make a step, the door of the library opened once more.

Mikan was just gathering the books when she heard a gasp of shock. ''It is him!'' a man yelled and Natsume turned towards the voice in surprise. Suddenly a horde of photographers, reporters, and paparazzi rushed in with flashes of cameras and thousand and one question. Mikan slowly stood up and stared in shock at the mass of people that surrounded the superstar like a wave of water. Other people who had been in the library all this time came looking what was going on and took a few pictures with their own phones.

Questions and screams filled the whole library, people gathering around a stoic Natsume Hyuuga like bees. He glanced at Mikan for a few moments, taking in her surprised and a little frightened expression, making her look at him in question and panic for the well-being of her library, before he turned away, put his shades on, smirked confidently, and made his way through the mass of people towards the exit. Mikan watched his figure disappear.

The mass followed him and in a minute Mikan and those who had been working and reading in the library stayed behind. Outside the building, the jumble continued and got even bigger as pedestrians noticed the commotion and tried to get closer to see what was going on. A few reporters made photos of the library and even tried to get an interview from Mikan, but she was in such a shock she was not able to react. They soon left her alone and went after Natsume.

There were even TV reporters talking about finding the biggest star of Japan, who should have been on vacation, here in Tokyo in a library. It was huge news and everyone went crazy about it. After some time, the people in the library calmed down and went back to their previous task.

Mikan on the other hand was still in shock. She was staring at the door, hardly believing what just happened.

She sat down on her chair and needed a few more minutes to come to herself. When a few of her customers came to bring back books or borrow them, she worked on autopilot. She did not answer those few questions regarding Natsume Hyuuga and simply smiled and at people, telling them the usual stuff she had to tell the customers.

She also ignored the constantly ringing phone next to her for she knew reporters wanted to speak with the library stuff to get more information. In the end, she called the operator to change the phone number. Once the day was finally over, she cleaned her desk, made her way out of the library, and locked it up. Today she was the last one to go. Usually she always let her co-workers lock up – she was always the first to arrive and therefore went home before the others. However, today, she stayed behind, not saying much.

As she walked down the street towards her flat, she felt empty. Natsume Hyuuga, Japan's biggest music star had been her regular customer for several months. Reporters found him in the library and made a big deal out of it. He will most probably never again step into her library.

She breathed in and out, her shoulders falling. She came to like the man and he just walked out of her life. She felt so much sorrow and regret, she grimaced and gulped down tears. Just what had she been thinking? A super star and a librarian? This was not a movie. And why in the world would someone like him go after someone like her? Right now, he most probably think she was the one who called the reporters. That she was like his ex. That she wanted attention.

All she wanted was his attention.

She wiped away a few of those tears that managed to escape and looked down to the floor to hide her face from pedestrians. As she came home, locking the door behind her, and Mr Bear awaiting her like the good dog he was, she finally lost her control and cried. She sat on the floor, leaning on the door behind her. Mr Bear came to her, whining in concern and licking her cheeks.

Mikan threw her arms around her dog and buried her face into his neck. The dog sat in front of her and let her hug him, licking her here and there, waiting for her to calm down. They stayed like that for a very long time, and only as it was late in the evening did Mikan calm down. She smiled sadly at her friend and scratched him behind his ears. ''I'm sorry, Bear. I'm going to give you food right away, all right?''

She slowly stood up, turned a few lights on, and walked into her kitchen. Mr Bear was following her, wiggling with his tail. Mikan prepared Bear's food in silence, her eyes glassy and her mind far away. As the dog ate, she watched him, thinking about what to do now.

Today she had been hoping for a date with Natsume Hyuuga. She would have asked him out for coffee and then hope for a next time. It was Friday and she wanted to make the best of it, but now… Now she was here alone, with no hope for more.

She prepared Yakisoba for herself, sat down in front of the TV and ate it without really tasting it. She turned on the TV and came across the news. Of course, Natsume Hyuuga was right there, attacked by the horde of reporters in front of her library.

''The lead singer of the band RED, Natsume Hyuuga is not on vacation anymore. Just today an anonymous caller informed the press that he spends his time in one of the local libraries-'' the camera showed Mikan's library. ''-and as promised, he really was there.'' The hot female reporter told into the camera. Then the scene was changed into one from that afternoon.

''Hyuuga-san! What are you doing here?''

''When did you come back?''

A mass of questions was thrown at the man Mikan saw just a few hours ago. He was not smiling the same way he did as he was with her. He wore that cool, confident smirk that made many people skip a beat. The only comment he made before he disappeared again was: ''I decided to spent some time home. Technically, I'm still on vacation and will be until our band and managers sign a new contract. Thank you.'' Then a car pulled over and he jumped in. He disappeared down the street with the press running behind the car.

Mikan changed the Chanel, came across a TV series, a romantic comedy, and stared blankly at it, while eating Yakisoba. Mr Bear came lying under her feet once he ate his meal and let her caress him with her toes.

''I hope he won't get in trouble.'' She said to herself. As she ate everything up, she put the plate on the small table and pulled her legs up, her knees supporting her chin. She whimpered and cried again. ''And I thought maybe…''

Bear whined under her feet and then jumped on the couch next to her, pressing himself on her. She hugged him and buried her face into his neck. After some time she calmed down and sighed. ''I'm really such a dork. Desperate and dorky. And a huge idiot.''

She looked at her dog and smiled. ''Tomorrow is Saturday, so we'll go on a long walk, I promise. And I think we'll spent the whole day in the park. All right?'' she talked to the dog like it was able to understand her and he barked back.

Mikan had a few friends who she could call and tell them her problems, but she could hardly talk about Natsume Hyuuga here. She did not tell anyone she knew him personally and she had no intention of letting anyone know. Not if he disappeared from her life.

That is how Mikan spent her Friday evening – staring at the TV and hugging her dog. She felt like such a loser.


	6. Stars Are Meant to be Watched, not Touch

_**Till There Was You**_

* * *

_**Stars Are Meant to be Watched, not Touched**_

* * *

''And you're sure it wasn't her who called them?'' Ruka asked sceptically, watching Natsume and his manager. They were in the manager's office discussing the matter of him being found out.

''Yes, I'm sure. She didn't know I would come on Friday and she was even more shocked than I. Someone else from that place must have called them. It wasn't like I was hiding that much. I got carried away and walked around without my glasses.'' Natsume explained, annoyed at this whole situation.

''It doesn't really matter who called them. Fact is, they know you're here in Tokyo again and that means your privacy is gone. What do you want to do?'' asked the manager, his assistant answering the calls of many reporters.

Natsume shrugged. ''They don't know where I live and I can still stay hidden if I keep my clothes a little thicker. It's not like they would know where I'll be going every second of the day.''

''True. The only thing they know is that you're here – which of course doesn't mean you will stay here. Officially, you could travel again. That would keep them away for a while.'' Ruka commented and they all nodded. They were silent for some time, only the assistant talking into the phone.

''What about the girl?'' his manager asked. Natsume looked at him. ''What about her?''

''Look.'' His manager started tiredly. ''You know how this goes. I honestly don't care who you're hanging out with or what relations you have, but if you don't clear this up, the press might find out she's somehow involved with you and then she's going to pay for it. The majority of your friends are either people who were with you since the very beginning or people who are celebrities themselves. An outsider like her isn't aware of how life as a well-known person is like. If the two of you keep in touch, it will make her known. She won't be able to avoid it.''

Natsume did not say anything for some time.

''Think this through, Natsume. It's not just about you.''

Natsume nodded.

The next day, Natsume spent alone.

Yesterday had been a horrible day for him. As he sat in his bright flat, staring through his huge windows, his cat on his lap, the incident yesterday went through his head. The one who called the press had been exposed and appeared on TV for those few minutes, ecstatic to have found _the_ Natsume Hyuuga a library.

In the library Natsume had felt happy.

And now he could not go back without being exposed – the mass of reporters that was surrounding the building did not give him a chance.

He thought about Mikan. He still saw her shocked expression, and the fear reaching her eyes. She was standing behind the counter, helplessly staring at the uproar around her. She had no idea how to react and once her eyes caught his, he had wished he could take her hand and run away. He still wished he had done that – but what he did was the sensible thing.

The smart thing.

He respected her too much to pull her into the dirty side of his world. No privacy, no hiding, many lies. He could not do that to her. So he turned away from her frightened expression, played it cool explaining his presence in the library as coincidence, and walked away.

He knew he did the right thing. He saved her name and her career. He saved her in a way.

Still…

It felt like someone punched him in the stomach and repeatedly slapped him across the face. It had only been a day, but he already missed her. He wanted to see her and talk to her. He wanted to ask her out on that date, and then invite her for another one until she decided to stay. With him.

That would not happen now.

He had to let this go. It was not even much. They had only had moments of smiles, slight touches, and conversations. Nothing else, nothing much. This should be easy.

But it was not.

It was far from easy to let go of her.

Natsume drowned himself in these thoughts, unable to forget.

* * *

On Saturday morning, Mikan and Mr Bear went to the park. This time not just to run, but to spend the whole day here. Mikan prepared them some food, found herself a nice summer dress and comfortable shoes, and went out. They played around in the park; she was throwing a ball, and Mr Bear was running after it, catching it. They walked around, and Mikan let him run around the grass. Then she gave him some food, sat down on a bench and ate her own. Mr Bear fell asleep after that and Mikan pulled out a book from her bag, made herself comfortable on the bench, and read.

The wind was gently caressing her face and Mikan felt calm, even though she was still a little sad. The day was beautiful, sunny and warm, and she enjoyed it. She breathed in and closed her eyes for a moment, her head lolling to the side.

She felt strange. It was not like she was madly in love with Natsume Hyuuga; she had admired him since forever, but she was not that crazy over him. Yet, since they started talking, she felt they got closer. He gave her the feeling that he liked spending some time with her, that he liked talking to her. She knew they would not be able to stay in touch for a long time, especially not when his vacation was over, but still…

It was nice. She had hoped it stayed that way for a long time. Yet it was over now. She would most probably never see him again. At least not in person. And for a long time, they really did not see each other.

Mikan read about him in papers. He supposedly just returned from his vacation (the reporters guessed obviously, for he had been in Tokyo for months) and spent his time reading books in the library. The public guessed he just wanted to walk around the city in his disguise and have some fun. Some even claimed he was hiding in the library from his stalker. But there were also some who thought he was meeting a woman there.

Because, who would guess Natsume Hyuuga went to libraries?

Mikan sighed as she put the newspaper down and concentrated on her work. She was hiding in the archives of the library and let another worker do the checking. The first week after Natsume had been discovered in the library, many reporters asked for interviews and reported about the place, sneaking in to take pictures. Mikan could not handle the attention and hid herself.

Natsume did not come back. His friend returned the books without a comment and that was the last time she had a connection with the star. She did not tell anyone about the… hm… how should she name it? Friendship? Acquaintance? Flirting relationship with Natsume Hyuuga? Something like that. She had had a feeling they clicked, but… They were worlds apart. She, herself would not really mind; a job did not define a person. The problem was he was a public person and the public decided about his job… And about the people he knew…

She did not stand a chance.

* * *

Mikan sighed putting old books together and away. She had been working in the back for days and really wanted to go out to the counter again. But not yet.

Days after the newspapers finally stopped writing about Natsume Hyuuga and focused on his group and their up-coming concert on New Year's. On the one hand, Mikan was glad she did not hear about him anything, but on the other hand… She felt sad… She did in fact consider him a friend. But he disappeared just like that and she could not do anything about it. She still remembered the look he gave her before he and the horde of reporters disappeared into another dimension.

She and Bear jogged every morning in hopes she would see him in the park, but he was never there. She also often went grocery shopping in hopes to catch a glimpse of him there. But he was never there. He was once again the Natsume Hyuuga from the RED group, busy, popular, and far far away. She missed their conversations and jokes. And she missed him. As much as one can miss a person he did not really know. He was still just the popular guy who hid from his ex, coincidentally, in the library.

Mikan knew she should push her memories and hopes to the side and move on, but she knew she was not there yet. She enjoyed thinking of him and she still liked to hear him on the radio. It made her a little sad of course, but the warm feeling did not go away yet. She would give herself some time.

It had been a long time since she felt something like this towards a guy. There had been only two boys in her life that made her feel special. One in high school and one in college. After that she stayed alone. And she felt lonely. She missed having someone to share her life with. She missed being loved. She wished she had someone like that in her life, and the star that practically fell into her arms seemed to be interested in her too. But that was just wishful thinking. She was nothing special and he had far better company that to be searching for someone outside his range.

She should stop thinking about it.

After a month, Mikan did not think of him that much anymore. At least, she tried not to.

One day she walked down the street, Mr Bear walking next to her. Her red coat was thick enough to keep her warm this early in the evening. There were little snowflakes dancing above her, creating a wonderful holiday feeling. She walked to clear her mind, but having nothing to focus on, just made her think of him even more. Then she stopped at the beginning of the Shibuya crossroad. There he was, all around her. Posters of his perfect face; screens with him and his group performing; ads with his perfect smile. He was all around her, his face, his figure, his voice. Even RED's song were played at the biggest screen.

She had him everywhere, but it was not enough. He was not just a face anymore. He was not just a voice. He was a real person, a character, someone she spoke to and knew. Someone she considered a friend. Someone she wished was more than a friend.

Now he was just a face again. She closed her eyes, trying to stifle down the memories; but they were just moments, and the flashbacks were not more than just a few smiles, a few coincidental touches and conversations. Nothing special. Nothing big. But she missed it all. She missed it all so much her chest tightened with hurt. It had meant a lot to her. Still does.

But she knew she should stop thinking about it. This was not one of her favourite stories, not a fantasy. This was real life, and a nobody like her should not fantasize about someone as Natsume Hyuuga. Not because it were not possible, but because it was not safe. Their worlds were too different. Too far apart.

She blinked back tears, Mr Bear rubbing his head on her leg. She patted his head and her eyes focused on what was in front of her. Her heart skipped a beat. She did not even notice it before because she was so deep in thoughts.

There he was once again. All around on the posters and screens, and further down in front of her, in person. He and his band mates were standing on a small stage in the middle of the square surrounded by hundreds of fans. They were being interviewed about their new start. After a year of vacation, they would once again appear on stage.

An interviewer, a lovely, perfectly shaped black-haired woman smiled at them, asking them questions about their plans for the future. Mikan stared at him. He was wearing jeans and a red T-shirt, looking perfectly good. He was smirking at the crowd, answering questions and posing for photos. He was Natsume Hyuuga, the star.

What Mikan did not know was that he was secretly scanning the crowd, hoping to see her. He was sure she would not be there; she was not an extreme fan, but he thought that just maybe, after a month, he would get the chance to see her. He had to avoid her to prevent the journalists getting a hint about why he had been found in a library. It felt like torture. He wished to see her. He stalked her on Facebook every day, but she never posted anything. He had the urge to write her a message, but in case a crazy stalker broke into his computer account, he was not allowed to leave any evidence of his friendship relationships with 'normalos'. At times like these, he wished he were not a super star.

He did not see her in the crowd.

The female reporter was just asking some questions his drummer, so Natsume looked around the square. Many people were walking around, glancing his way. But there was that one black spot that caught his attention. It was a black dog with a female owner wrapped in red. She was standing further down the square, staring his way.

His knee-jerk reaction was almost to get up and run after her, but he caught himself from doing something stupid and stared back at her. She was still as beautiful as before. His chest tightened.

She did not move for some time. Their eyes met and Mikan's eyes welled up. She sighed, glanced at him one more time, and turned away. She had to leave this alone and walk away. She had to move on. Natsume almost yelled after her.

But Mikan was walking away.

This was not one of her fantasy stories and she certainly was not the main character. So she had to return back to real life again.

As soon as she arrived home, she packed a few things and took a vacation. She would do some traveling to clear her mind.

She had no idea Natsume Hyuuga decided to screw the safety tips of his manager, and started looking for her the next day.


	7. Sky Full of Stars

_**Till There Was You**_

* * *

_**Sky Full of Stars**_

* * *

She took two weeks off from work to gather her thoughts and relax. And relax she did. Every day she went on a short trip to a place she had not been before. Sometimes her friends came with her, but mostly, she went alone. So she could think. She thought about this past year, and she thought about Natsume. She had realized he was not only an amazing singer, but also a wonderful person. A person she would have to forget. It would be hard with his face everywhere, but she would do it.

She visited old temples, climbed the Fuji (not to the top, it was winter after all), went to hot springs with her friends, and sat in traditional parks, enjoying the view.

Today she and Bear went to the park near her flat, where she usually jogged. She once again planned to spend the day here and relax. It was a cold, sunny day, and the wind made the branches move around. She played with Bear on the snow, throwing snowballs and laughing at his acrobatics. At one point, the dog got tired and lied down on the snow, rolling around and scratching his back on the ground.

''You silly dog.'' Mikan laughed and sat down next to him on a piece of wood, caressing his head. The dog calmed down and fell asleep. Mikan stared in front of her, watching the snowflakes and listening to the sound of wind. The air was fresh and she enjoyed the calm atmosphere. She was so lost in her world that she did not hear someone walk towards her. She did no hear him stop behind her and did not see him stare at her.

''You're hard to find, Mikan Sakura.'' He spoke up and Mikan jumped in surprise, turning her head to the side to see if she heard right. She did. Natsume Hyuuga in all his black-hair and red-eyes glory was standing there, gazing at her.

''Natsume-san!'' she exclaimed and the dog looked up, wiggling his tail in happiness. He walked towards Natsume and let him pat his head. Natsume sat down next to Mikan and stared in front of him. ''You know…'' he started. ''I've been looking for you everywhere these past days, but you were nowhere to find.''

Mikan stared at him, her heart rushing, and her cheeks flushing. She could not believe he was here. She could not believe he was actually sitting here with her. She touched his sleeve to see if he really was here. He looked at her and she removed her hand.

''I… I took a vacation and took a few trips around. I'll be home from today on until I start work again.'' She stuttered, explaining, still not really there. They were both silent for some time, but then Mikan finally came to herself. ''What- I mean… Is it safe for you to be here? Someone might-''

''Yeah, no worries. No one would notice me here unless they really looked.'' He gave her a half smile that made her heart fly. So much for forgetting about him.

''But last time-''

''Last time someone called the press. They had paid him good. There's no one else here now.''

Mikan nodded, wanting to ask so many questions, but not daring to. ''How… How have you been?'' she asked instead and gulped. It was hard facing him, and stay calm at the same time.

Natsume shrugged. ''Had to hide for some time until the press calmed down.''

''I'm sorry this happened in my library. I didn't know…''

''I know. It happens.'' He stared at her, feeling much better now that he had seen her after so much time.

''You've been looking for me?'' she finally smiled and his heart jumped a little. He seriously wanted to kiss her.

''Yeah…'' he pulled out seven tickets to the RED concert. ''I wanted to give you this. Come to my concert next week.'' Mikan stared at the ticket in confusion, but then took them. ''Why?'' She had a strange feeling with this. It made her a little frightened.

''Just come. Bring your friends. You have the front row.'' He smiled and Mikan looked at the tickets. Really. They were right in front of the stage. Natsume stood up and Mikan almost jumped after him. ''Natsume?''

When he looked at her again, she seemed as if she was about to go after him, her eyes wide and her hands shaking a little. She looked beautiful. ''Do you want to go for coffee? Tea?'' she rambled, just to keep him for herself a little longer.

He wanted to say yes of course. He liked her so he wanted to spend more time with her, but someone could see them… ''Maybe next time.'' Her shoulders fell. ''Come to the concert, Mikan Sakura.'' He told her and gazed at her for a few more moments. Then he turned around, waived his hand, and walked away. Mikan stared at him, the tickets in her hand. Mr Bear watched Natsume go, his tail wagging.

''Why does he want me on the concert?'' she asked aloud and looked at the tickets. She patted Bear's head and looked around thoughtfully. ''He's still the same.'' She smiled and hugged her dog. ''What do you think? Should I go or not?''

Bear nuzzled her ear and she giggled. ''I'll go of course.''

In the meantime, Natsume Hyuuga walked back home. Hope spread through his whole body like a bomb after he had seen her reaction. She looked like she was about to cry, but at the same time, he noticed her hand touching him. He wanted to stay with her and spend some time with her, but they could have been seen together and he did not want to cause trouble for her.

''Maybe this could be it.'' He whispered to himself as he entered a taxi and drove off.

* * *

''Just where the hell did you get these tickets?!'' Sumire exclaimed for the hundred times since they arrived at the concert hall. Mikan invited her girlfriends to the first RED concert after their almost a year long vacation. Thousands of fans have already been gathering at the gate, but Mikan was too nervous to notice.

''I told you, they were a gift from a customer.'' She smiled at Sumire and looked around. Sumire rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue. ''A rich customer I'd say. Do you have any idea how much do these tickets cost? They cost… They… I don't even know!''

''Lucky us we have Mikan as a friend, then.'' Nonoko smiled and tapped her friend on the shoulder.

''Just be happy, Sumire. These tickets have been sold out for months and we have front row. Enjoy.'' Commented Anna and took pictures of the mass of people around her. ''Man… How many people can be in here?''

''When does it start?'' asked Misaki and grinned like a child on Christmas eve. ''I can't wait anymore. This is so very cool. Mikan, you have the best customers in the world. If they always thank you like that, can you get me a job in the library?'' she joked and Mikan laughed.

''But seriously… Front row? That's…'' Nobara looked around in awe as they moved forward in the row to the main concert hall. It was taking long for the security guys to check the mass of people, but slowly more and more people got in.

Wakako and Yura did not say much for they were still in shock to actually hold tickets like these. It was crazy. The only sound they actually produced when the girls finally had their tickets cut, was ''Finally!''.

They walked into the huge concert hall, to the front, right in front of the stage. The hall was slowly filling with people and Mikan's heart sped up as the lights went out and the backstage workers made sure the lights work properly. Half an hour later, it started.

The mass of people went wild. Girls screamed as the first drums hit and announced the group. Lights travelled around the stage in a mix of red, blue, and finally golden. The audience drowned out the sound of the starting music with their screams, and thousands of flashes illuminated the place because of the entire photo taking.

The concert started.

The drums and the electric guitar started the music and the audience went even wilder once RED appeared on stage. Mikan's heart almost gave in. There he was. Standing right in the middle in front of his mic, his eyes closed, waiting for the intro to change into the actual song. And when it did, he opened his eyes, taking in the mass of people. He smirked. The screaming drowned out the music.

''So we're back again!'' he said before the song began.

_In the middle of the night, when the angels scream,  
I don't want to live a lie that I believe.  
Time to do or die._

The audience sang with the group and so did Mikan. Her eyes were glued to the man that made her hope for crazy things, and her whole body felt like it was seconds before exploding. He sang perfectly, giving his all, his group supporting him. Mikan and her friends had fun and were laughing and screaming, and taking photos of RED.

The peak of the concert was when RED introduced their two new songs.

''So I wrote them during my vacation.'' Natsume grinned at his audience. ''I had an incredible inspiration and couldn't help myself but put this together.'' His eyes suddenly found Mikan and he stared at her so intensely, her knees wobbled. Her cheeks felt suddenly so hot, and her heart went so wild that she had problems to breath. His sudden gaze took her by surprise, and she was taken aback by how much it hit her. They stared at each other, the audience not noticing anything.

''I really hope you'll like it.'' He said before the music started. He did not avert his eyes from Mikan.

_There were bells on a hill  
But I never heard them ringing  
No, I never heard them at all  
Till there was you_

_There were birds in the sky  
But I never saw them winging  
No, I never saw them at all  
Till there was you_

_Then there was music and wonderful roses  
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows  
Of dawn and dew_

_There was love all around  
But I never heard it singing  
No, I never heard it at all  
Till there was you_

_Then there was music and wonderful roses  
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows  
Of dawn and dew_

_There was love all around  
But I never heard it singing  
No, I never heard it at all  
Till there was you  
Till there was you_

As the audience screamed, Mikan did not hear them. She only heard him, saw him, and she had tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. Natsume smiled at her, and then finally looked at his audience. The hall went wild as the next song started and it continued until the very last song.

_'Cause you're a sky, cause you're a sky full of stars  
I'm gonna give you my heart  
'Cause you're a sky, cause you're a sky full of stars  
'Cause you light up the path_

_I don't care, go on and tear me apart  
I don't care if you do  
'Cause in a sky, cause in a sky full of stars  
I think I saw you_

_'Cause you're a sky, cause you're a sky full of stars  
I want to die in your arms, arms  
'Cause you get lighter the more it gets dark  
I'm going to give you my heart_

_And I don't care, go on and tear me apart  
And I don't care if you do  
'Cause in a sky, cause in a sky full of stars  
I think I see you  
I think I see you_

_Because you're a sky, you're a sky full of stars  
Such a heavenly view  
You're such a heavenly view_

The whole hall screamed louder than RED sang and it just got wilder when the drummer and the guitarist improvised with the harmonies. And as the last beat fell, it erupted into a crazy euphoria of screaming, clapping, and calling for more.

It took a very long time before people started going out of the hall, but many still waited for the band to give autographs. They were all standing at each side of the carpet, to get a glimpse of the band. The girls did the same, and as the band walked out, more screams erupted. Mikan was sure he did not see her, but once again, he locked eyes with her and she was one of the few lucky ones who got something written on the piece of paper.

For a second, he touched her hand and she stared at him with wide eyes. Once he was away already sitting in the limousine, she took a quick peek at the paper.

_Stay up tonight. Natsume_

Mikan quickly hid the paper in her pocket and went to her friends.

''This was so cool! The best concert ever! And they were right in front of us!'' Sumire gushed enthusiastically.

''Mikan, you're the best for bringing us here.'' Anna smiled and hugged her friend. Mikan laughed, a little shaken from everything that happened tonight. Her friends threw themselves all over her, all happy that this event had happened.

And as they took the train home, Sumire and she the last ones on it, Mikan became nervous. Sumire did not say anything for a few moments, then she finally smiled at Mikan, speaking up with a soft voice that Mikan was not used to. ''So it was him, wasn't it?'' she asked, looking at her knowingly.

Mikan looked at her with her big eyes. ''It was not a coincidence that they found him in your library, wasn't it?'' The greenhead asked and put her arm around Mikan. Mikan blushed and looked down on her lap.

''I can guess you can't really talk about it yet, but once you think its' safe, you know I'm here, ok?'' she told her and mIkan nodded. ''Thanks, Sumire.''

''Yeah… I noticed the change in you, but I wasn't sure what it was that made you so… different. But tonight… The tickets… The staring…''

''It might be nothing.'' Mikan muttered.

''Nothing?'' Sumire looked at her. ''The guy wrote songs for you. If that's nothing than you'll be single forever.'' She joked and stood up because it was her stop. She looked at Mikan before walking out. ''Good luck girl.''

When the doors closed, Mikan sighed. ''I'll need it.'' But she felt more relaxed now that at least one person knew about her dilemma. All these months of hidden thoughts and growing feelings… Not a single person knew about them. Now, it seemed as if once again, her best friend figured it out. She was happy about it.

When she walked out of the train station and made her way towards her appartment complex, she became very nervous. Her heart beat like crazy and her hands were sweating. It was like the first time she fell in love. She was not sure what he actually meant. Should she wait for him to come? Or should she sit in front of the computer for him to skype her? What? Either way she would not be able to sleep tonight.

But she needn't have to worry about what to do, because there was someone waiting for her in front of the entrance door. He was wearing worn out jeans, a sweater with the hoody hiding his face and sneakers. Just two hours after the concert and he was like another person.

He heard her walking towards him and turned around, facing her. She stopped, staring at him with her heart in her throat, her hands shaking. She was so nervous she could hardly speak, but her body was stronger than her mind. She smiled as he pulled his hoody down and revealed his smiling face.

''Natsume…'' she whispered as she walked towards him again, this time stopping right in front of him, staring up into his eyes.

''Hey…'' he greeted and scratched the back of his neck. He was also nervous, she realized. They were silently staring at each other before Mikan took his hand. ''Can I invite you in? Would you like to drink something?''

He took her hand and gave her his killing half smile. ''Yeah… Lead the way.''

As they walked into Mikan's apartment, they stopped in the kitchen. Mikan was so nervous that her hands were shaking. Natsume was right behind her, and she did not dare turning around. She knew that if she did, she would literally fall into his arms.

She opened a few drawers and took out two cups. ''Can I offer you tea? I don't have anything else.'' She asked and almost jumed in surprise when she felt his hands around her hips. She quickly turned around and came face to face with a serious Natsume. Her wide eyes took in his expression; he wanted her and she knew she wanted him too. She was shaking all over now and her cheeks flushed as his hands traveled up her back to her neck and head and pulled her into his arms as his lips found hers.

She threw her arms around him and kissed him back. They pulled away a few moments later, staring at each other, breathing hard, and smiling widely.

''Kami-sama finally…'' Natsume muttered with a grin and found her neck to suck on it. Mikan giggled and squeaked as she felt him carress her neck. ''I thought this would never happen…'' she mumbled and without untangling themselves from each other, Mikan led them into her bedroom.

They did not wake up before noon next morning. And it was Natsume who woke up first. He laid next to her on his side, gently carressing her back, while she breathed calmly in her sleep. He watched her and found her even more beautiful. Her skin was pale and soft, and she was so sweet that he wanted to kiss her.

So he did. He started off on her back, and his lips traveled up to her shoulder and stopped on her neck, where he took his sweet time to mark her. Mikan stirred and woke up, her eyes slowly opening. She giggled as his lips tickled her and blew into her ears, and she quickly found his lips and kissed him back. Of course it did not stay by that. Although Mikan was a calm and shy girl, she was also a tiger in bed, Natsume realized.

Without even noticing when it happened, she turned them around and was already sitting on his lap, grinning down at him, her long hair tickling his stomach. He laughed as her fingers played with his face, then reached out and carressed her cheek, pulling her down for a slow and very long kiss.

And only after a few hours were they able to untangle themselves from each other and walk into the kitchen for breakfast. Or dinner if we looked at the time. Barefoot, and with a too big shirt on her body, Mikan cooked them something good to eat, while Natsume helped her cut the vegetables, wearing only his shorts.

They played around a bit, bumped hips, and stole kisses from time to time.

''You gave me a nice spot there.'' Mikan jokingly glared at him, talking about the hickey. Natsume grinned proudly and pulled her closer, kissing her sensually. ''You're taken. Let people know that.'' He told her breathlessly as they pulled away and made her laugh. ''I think it had been obvious for some time now that I'm more or les taken.'' She admited, her cheeks red.

Natsume nimbled at her ear. ''Yeah? Since when?'' Mikan could hardly concentrate with him distracting her like that. ''Um… It was since… Ah… Since you walked me home from the store… I think…'' she finally brought out and giggled again, as he bit into her ear.

''You've got to stop doing that or else you won't be eating for another hour or so.'' She told him pulling away and he smirked at her. ''You're lucky I'm hungry…'' He laughed as she rolled her eyes and turned away to take their food to the table in the living room. Natsume took two cups and filled them with some tea. Mikan put the pan with Yakisoba on the table and the plates next to it. They both put the food on their plates and sat down on the couch, turning on the TV.

''Natsume…'' Mikan started slowly, making him look up. She watched him with her big unsure eyes and he knew this was the time for them to talk. ''Is it all right that I… That it's me you're with?'' she asked, taking a sip of her tea. Natsume relaxed. He was afraid she would back off after they cooled down. He took a bite and gulped it down.

''I'll be honest here. I like you very much Mikan Sakura. And I know I stretched the whole thing by circling around the matter for so long, but I… I wanted to be sure. And when that thing happened with the press, I just got my answer… Because even though it became a big matter, I still wanted to be near you…'' he looked at her, his eyes shining in a way that made Mikan's heart beat faster. ''My manager asked me about it and we talked about what to do. I wouldn't be officially single anymore, but we would keep your name hidden… If it's all right with you. I just want to make it right. And I know I made you wait and most probably made you angry for that, but-''

''I understand. It's far more complicated when your job is the one you have.'' Mikan completed his sentence with a soft smile. ''I wasn't angry. I was sad because I thought this might never happen. But it did…'' she carressed his cheek and breathed out. ''I'm very happy that I can be with you. I… I think you've already noticed that… That I like you very much. I like… I'm…'' she was not able to express what she felt, so she looked him right in the eyes, cheeks blushing. ''I'd be happy if you were with me.''

Natsume put his plate away and leaned down to kiss her. Mikan did the same and they forgot about food for a few minutes. Once the snog session was over, they laughed it off and ate up.

''So how do we do this? I suppose normal dating is impossible.'' Mikan asked as they watched a movie in the evening. Natsume nodded. ''Well, I can be recognised if I don't watch out, but we can hang out like normal couples. But you won't see me without my shades and hat.'' He laughed.

''Hmm… Then you'll have to visit me more often.'' Mikan grinned. ''I suppose me visiting you would be more suspicious and would attract the press.''

Natsume looked at her. ''I wouldn't mind being with you the whole time. But we can make trips to wherever to have it more colourful.'' He suggested and Mikan smiled. ''That would be nice. Now… What about books? Will you stop coming to the library now that you've got work? I guess you won't have much time…''

Natsume smirked. ''Sure I can come, but not as often and maybe right before the end of your shicht, so to not be seen.''

''All right then. I have a few books ready for you.'' She smiled and laughed as he tickled her and made her lie down on the couch, leaning on his elbows above her, gazing at her. ''You're beautiful.'' He whispered and Mikan's eyes fluttered, her heart hammering.

She pulled him down and kissed him, breathing in his manly scent and playing with his hair. They enjoyed their evening on the couch and only later did they start telling each other more personal things.

''So I know you have a sister, and I read in the papers her name's Aoi. Do you have any other siblings?'' Mikan asked him, tucked in his arms.

''It's just Aoi and I. She's younger and she's a fashion designer. I think that underwear you had on was her mark.'' Natsume laughed and Mikan rolled her eyes. ''Our parents own a bakery nearby. Thank Kami the press didn't get wind of it. I think my dad wouldn't be able to handle it.''

Mikan giggled. ''What did your parents say when you decided to become a singer?''

''Actually, this whole thing wasn't that sudden, you know? We started in high school, just for fun, and we performed wherever we got the chance. Soon those small performances turned into bigger ones, and then we performed on national events and voila… The progress was slow and seemed… I guess… Natural… If I put it like that. It was no surprise for anyone, actually.'' He explained, pulling her closer. ''What about you? Why a librarian?''

Mikan thought about it. ''Now, don't misunderstand, I liked the orphanage I lived at. The people there were wonderful and I met nice friends in school, but you know… I often… When I was younger, I hid myself in a corner with a book and read stories about adventures, magic, and all that, and you know… It helped me grow up. Books are my world. I like them and I like the work I do, so that's why…''

''It's a nice job. Can't compare with mine, but, yeah…'' Natsume joked and Mikan hit him playfully on the shoulder. ''But I must ask you something else now. I've wondered since I met you, but the first day we met, you wore that hot hot hot outfit, then never again? What was the ocasion?''

''Aha… I knew I couldn't have caught your attention with just my brain.'' Mikan joked and Natsume pinched her in the arm. ''Ouch! All right all right. We had inspectors in the library. You know, they come once a year every year to have a look around and to see if everything works fine, so I had to make myself presentable.''

''Ah… And I thought you wore that every day.''

''Pff… Have you seen those high heals? I'd die the second day of wearing them, you know… I like comfortable things more.''

''I noticed. And you look good in them. Wouldn't have it any other way.''

They gazed at each other for some time, just like teenagers discovering the world of love. It was strange, Natsume thought. He had had a few girls in his life and many made him feel loved and happy, but Mikan here… She was like fresh air. He could not get enough of her. She was not that confident and loud. She was shy and reserved, and careful with people. But once she opened up to you, she was like a stray of sunshine, warming your heart and making your heart run a marathon. She made him think of her only. And right now, he could not imagine having any other girl on his side.

Mikan Sakura did not rock his world, as they would say. She made it calmer, more content, and enjoyable. She made him stop, look around, and relax. And it felt really really good.

He played with her hair.

Mikan closed her eyes and enjoyed it.

''I still can't believe you like me.'' Natsume muttered and buried his face into her hair.

''Couldn't help it. I admit, at first it was just the fan crush. I think you already know I'm in love with your music…'' she admited. ''But then I got to know you more and… I don't know…'' she pulled away slightly to look him in the eyes. ''You're just… The way you look, they way you think and talk… The way you smell…'' she smiled.

''You like the way I smell?'' Natsume smiled and stopped himself from telling her he liked the way she smelled as well. Mikan nodded. ''I know. I have a strange fetish. But your scent is wonderful. I can't get enough of it.''

She sniffed at him to show him and giggled when he got goose bumps. ''Which deodorant are you using, dammit?'' she pressed her nose into the crook between his shoulder and neck and enjoyed the warmth he was giving off. Natsume chuckled. ''Ok, I admit, I like the way you smell, too. Although, it's your shampoo that smells fatastic.''

They both laughed at their strange fetishes and eventually fell asleep on the couch. It had been the best time spent together and they could not complain about it. The next day was Sunday and they spent the morning together. The afternoon they had to separate because they had each planned to hang out with their friends. And so just after noon, they hugged for some time and bid goodbye.

When Natsume left, Mikan watched him go, her chest full of emotions and her heart beating like it would never see the light again. She sighed like a love-struck girl that she was and could hardly concentrate on anything. As she met her firends, she tried to behave normally, but she gave off such strong feromones and happy laughs that even the girls noticed the change in her. Sumire watched her with a knowing look and Mikan did not have it in her to deny it anymore. She did not say it out loud, but she was in love.

She was seriously in love.

So much that her whole body shined with unspoken emotions.

She was like a bloomed flower.

Her friends did not ask about it because they knew that she would tell them herself when she would be ready, but it was obvious that there was someone in Mikan's life who made her very happy.

Natsume looked the same. He grinned like a child the whole time and laughed at everything anyone said or did. He was in his own world, almost not hearing his friends talk about whatever. They knew about the girl that made him so happy, because they discussed what to do in case the press found out, and they wanted to know more about the woman who made the stoic Natsume so… expressive.

''Now spill already, Hyuuga.'' Ruka demanded with a smile and everyone laughed, because of course it had to be Natsume's best friend to speak up first.

Natsume rolled his eyes, but continued smiling. ''What?''

''Not what. Tell us what happened? You got a girlfriend now?''

''Yep.''

The men laughed. ''He can't even speak properly.'' One of his mate joked.

''Well? How is she?'' another wanted to know.

Natsume sighed like a girl and once egain laughter errupted.

''Man… He's lost. He lost his brain with her.''

''Did not!''

''She's that Sakura girl isn't she? The librarian I met in January?'' Ruka asked.

Natsume nodded. ''Yeah. She's… She's fantastic…''

His friends looked at each other with big eyes and surprised smiles. It was not like Natsume was cold or anything. He had had a few girlfirends who he liked very much, but speaking about it in that way… That was new.

He had never expressed such obvious infatuation. Never. And most ptobably, he already had several songs writen about this new love. They were all sure about it. They left the guy with his thoughts and chatted about this and that, Natsume not noticing anything. He was on cloud nine, thinking of Mikan and her voice and her body and her. He was so inspired that in the evening, he sat down in front of his computer, composed three new songs and wrote lyrics to them. He could hardly know that one of them would be the next hit, toping the charts for the next few months.

He did not know if he should call her later in the evening, but he did not need to worry because it was Mikan, who called him and they once again chatted for two hours, hardly waiting to see each other again.

Natsume could not help but feel that everyone around him was wrong. It was not him who was the star. It was Mikan. She was the star for him and until there was her, he had never felt that way. She was his sky full of stars.


	8. First Date

_**Till There Was You**_

* * *

_**First Date**_

* * *

To say their first day was a wonderful event, would be a lie.

It was a disaster.

In a way.

Both Natsume and Mikan were nervous to go out together in fear to be caught.

''Is this seriously a good idea?'' Mikan asked concerned, looking through the window of her flat. Natsume stood next to her, his arms crossed, looking as concerned as she was. Mikan glanced at him.

''I'm… Not sure, actually. How do we do this?'' he looked at her. They stared at each other frowning, both with crossed arms, both concerned. They turned back to the window.

''A café is out of the question.'' Mikan noted.

''As well as an amusement park.'' Natsume stated.

''A walk through the park?''

''We've done that yesterday.''

''Hmmm…''

''What about shopping?''

''Wouldn't that be the same as the café?''

''Hmm…'' the both hummed thoughtfully at the same time.

''Shall we just… I don't know… Walk around and see if this works?'' Mikan asked uncertainly. Natsume nodded. ''Yeah. Let's do that. I have Ruka on speed-call if someone recognizes me.''

''And I have Sumire and the others waiting in the nearby café, so I can just go there.''

Natsume looked at her. ''Do they know you're having a date today?''

Mikan glanced at him. ''Well, yeah… But not with whom. Sumire knows, the others don't, so…''

They stared at each other. ''Let's go.'' Natsume moved and Mikan nodded. ''Yeah, it's going to be all right.''

It had not been all right, actually.

As soon as they walked down the street, they had realized the seasonal sale began and people were rushing through the city to get to the shops. The streets were full and Mikan and Natsume had a hard time walking together.

They decided to forget about shopping, and went to the aquarium. Which was a bad idea, because a few high schools made a trip there, and the whole aquarium was stifled with teenagers. If they had looked closely, they would have recognized Natsume Hyuuga. But the couple rushed out of the building as soon as they noticed the crowd.

''What now?'' they sat on a bench under a tree near the aquarium, watching people pass by.

''Shall we go eat something?'' Natsume asked, and Mikan nodded. ''Man… Now I understand your manager's concerns…'' she muttered and Natsume chuckled. ''It is a little stressful, yeah…''

They stopped at a food stand with Okonomiyaki and Mikan ordered for them. It was more practical if Natsume stayed silent and invisible. The problem with that was that Mikan was a beautiful woman and many glanced her way. Moreover, as she was ordering the food, the cook even tried to flirt with her.

''So miss… What is such a lovely lady as you doing here alone?'' the man asked with a grin, hoping to impress her with his cooking skills. Mikan was impressed, but not to that extend to just flirt back.

''Oh, I'm not alone. My boyfriend is with me-'' she looked around, noticing Natsume at the side, glaring at the cook. Mikan smiled. ''He's waiting there.'' She turned back to the cook, the smile still on her face. It made him blush.

''Pity…'' he stared at her and Mikan felt a little uncomfortable. ''Would you like anything special on your Okonomiyaki?'' he asked, his smile bright.

''Ah, no nothing. Just the regular ones is fine.'' She chuckled, uncertain how to react to the cook's flirting. He packed the Okonomiyaki and gave the box to her, but not before taking her hand, and holding it for a moment. ''If you ever get bored with your boyfriend, I'd love to invite you out, miss.''

Mikan tried to pull her hand away, but he did not let her. ''Um… Thank you, but I'm very happy.''

''Mikan.'' She suddenly heard Natsume behind her and the cook let go of her hand. No one recognized him with his shades on and hat, but Mikan noticed the glare at the cook from the side. ''H-hey, it's done. Let's go.'' She stuttered, a little flushed and took his hand, pulling him with her.

With one last murderous glare at the cook, Natsume followed her.

''I'm sorry you had to see that. It doesn't happen often that stranger talk to me. I'm surprised myself.'' She told him, squeezing his hand. He took the box from her and held it in his free hand. He muttered something under his breath and Mikan blushed even more, hearing it. It was something like 'You're too sexy for your own good.'.

Mikan cleared her throat and looked around. There were thousands of people everywhere, and the two of them would have no privacy here. She stopped and made Natsume stop too. She grinned at him. ''Let's just go back to my place and eat the Okonomiyaki there.''

Natsume looked at her in surprize. ''But… What about the date? We haven't done anything fun yet.''

Mikan gazed at him with _that_ look that promised another type of fun really really soon. ''We can still do something at home.'' She smirked seductively, caressing his cheek. The poor man pressed his lips together, to prevent embarrassing himself in public and quickly pulled her behind him, making his way towards he flat. Mikan laughed and her girly voice ringed in his ear like music. She was seriously going to be the death of him.

Once they arrived at the apartment complex, they run up the stairs and almost fell into the flat. Natsume put the Okonomiyaki on the table, picked Mikan up, and carried her to the bedroom. She still laughed, holding him around his neck, but soon her beautiful laughter turned into something far more alluring.

Putting it simply, the Okonomiyaki got cold.


	9. Friends and Stuff

_**Till There Was You**_

* * *

_**Friends and Stuff**_

* * *

''You think this is ok?'' Mikan asked nervously, clenching at Natsume's hand. He let go of her hand threw his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer, kissing her head. ''Yeah, don't worry. They know about you, and we've been together for more than a year now. I think it can't be worse than my family.'' He reassured her with a smile.

They were standing in front of the entrance door of his studio, where they would meet Natsume's co-workers and friends. His co-workers were after all very important people in Natsume's life. After so much time of being together, Natsume asked her if she wanted to meet his team, and Mikan said yes, of course; although a little insecure.

Mikan gulped and took a breath. She was a little scared.

Fact was, she was a normal girl, with a regular income, just enough to get by. And she was a librarian for Kami-sama's sake. How boring can a person get? Natsume, on the other hand…

She shook her head. She should not think about this.

She looked up at Natsume in determination. ''All right. Let's do this.''

Natsume grinned at her and planted one on her lips. Mikan smiled, but soon the gentle kiss ended. They both turned towards the door, determined to go through this. Natsume pushed the door open and they walked in.

It was a huge building made of glass. You could not see in, but you could see out. The corridor was wide and open and on each side of the long way, there were some closed and some open doors. Mikan did not hear music as she expected, but she guessed that was because each room was sound proof.

Natsume led her two floors up and when they walked in, another spacy corridor awaited them. Here, there were not many doors and all open. And Mikan could hear music and loud conversations. Natsume smirked. ''So they couldn't wait.''

Mikan stared at him in question.

''I told them I would bring you today and that they mustn't listen to the new examples. Guess, they weren't able to wait.''

Mikan smiled at him. ''That reminds me of someone.''

Natsume nudged her playfully. ''I'm not that impatient…'' he muttered, knowing very well he was.

Mikan laughed and kissed his cheek. ''You're just fine, don't worry.''

Someone cleared his throat. Mikan and Natsume stopped and looked up. Mikan blushed furiously. In front of them was standing RED. The whole group. Grinning like there was not tomorrow. Mikan did not notice but even Natsume got embarrassed.

''So…'' Tono, the drummer started. ''Will the introduction come any time now?'' the band laughed, and Natsume rolled his eyes. Quite a few other people came looking and Mikan guessed they were all in Natsume's team. She felt so shy she wanted the ground to swallow her.

''All right. Guys, this is Mikan Sakura, my girlfriend. Mikan, these are my colleges and friends. The band, my manager, my agent, composers, computer technicians-'' and so he introduced everyone to her. Mikan shook hands with each one of them, smiling shyly. She soon became a little more confident as everyone included her into the light conversation about Natsume and she. Natsume's manager was the first to completely warm up to her and was already laughing at one of her jokes about something that happened to her some time ago. Natsume watched her with a goofy smile, his friends watching him with a knowing smile.

He noticed their stares, and glared playfully. ''What?''

Tsubasa, his guitarist laughed. ''You have it bad for her, man… But she really is something…''

Natsume punched him in the shoulder playfully, but then the men threw themselves at him, patting him oon the shoulder and laughing, just as usually do. Mikan glanced his way and caught his eye. They smiled at each other before focusing on their conversation partner.

Sometime later, Ruka and Hotaru arrived and Natsume introduced Mikan to them.

''So, we meet again.'' The blonde smiled and shook Mikan's hand. The girl blushed and smiled. ''Yes, it's been quite some time since you brought those books back.'' Ruka laughed. ''Ah, I know. I was very mean then. I'm sorry for that.''

Mikan shrugged her shoulders. ''It's ok. It had been quite a nasty situation.'' She turned then to Hotaru Imai, Ruka's girlfriend and shook hands with her. Mikan knew right away that it was this woman she had to impress if she wanted to be accepted completely.

''Nice to meet you Imai-san.'' She smiled warmly and it seemed this was enough for Hotaru to be pleased.

''Nice to meet you too, Sakura-san. I've heard many things of you.'' Mikan noticed Imai smiled just like Natsume.

''Hopefully only good ones.''

''Only good ones, no worries. And I also heard you've got our little Natty wrapped around your finger. I must congratulate you for that by the way.'' Hotaru smiled evilly and Mikan blushed, glancing at Natsume. He rolled his eyes and nudged Hotaru in the shoulder.

''Quiet you. Don't let me start on you and Ruka.''

Hotaru brushed the matter off. ''This is far more interesting.'' Then she laughed and pulled Mikan closer. ''Come, little girl. Tell me everything. I need to know.'' The two girls moved to the side, happily chatting and laughing like they knew each other for ages, and Natsume stared at them incredibly.

Ruka patted him on the shoulder. ''Give it up, man. Hotaru liked her since she heard about you two, and it's possible the two of them will become best friends.''

Natsume looked at his best friend. ''Don't scare me… And Mikan already has her best friend.''

Ruka shrugged. ''Then her other best friend. I'm just telling you to be prepared.''

Natsume glanced at his girlfriend, who was in the middle of a serious discussion with Hotaru. They both erupted in laughter at a certain point and Natsume shook his head.

''I hope I'll survive this…''


	10. The Other Friends

_**Till There Was You**_

* * *

_**The Other Friends**_

* * *

Mikan and Natsume talked about how to tell Mikan's friends about their relationship. Mikan has not told anyone, whom she was dating, just that she was dating. Now, her friends were a bunch of cool people, but hiding a relationship from them was unfair.

Therefore, after a long discussion, they had decided they would invite them to Mikan's place to introduce Natsume. In all honesty, both of them were unsure about the whole thing because there was in fact a difference between Natsume's and Mikan's friends. The first knew how this worked – if you knew the celebrity, you were either his or hers friend or enemy. Moreover, friendship between celebrities requested discretion and keeping quiet about certain things. One also had to be prepared being stalked by paparazzi or denying the friendship for the better good. One had to make sacrifices, and that was something that came with experience.

Natsume knew that not asking about the partner in Mikan's relationship was a great deal for her friends and it was showing how much they trusted her. That is why it was him who requested the meeting.

He was nervous to meet them.

He knew what they might think of him.

Who lets his girlfriend hide their relationship for more than a year? It was just not normal to not talk about his beloved one in front of one's friends and Mikan had to do just that. They might look at him as a stuck up, rich bastard who took advantage of their sweet, beautiful friend. He would think the same.

Or another thing could happen. They might go all crazy once realizing whom he was and call the press and then everything would blow up – this little bubble he and Mikan had created, and he simply did not want to lose that.

Because it was a wonderful thing.

A wonderful relationship.

He had never clicked with anyone so much.

He and Mikan simply… connected… They both thought the same, had fantastic debates about things they did not agree with each other, and were able to compromise about anything.

They just… They were like best friends who happened to be madly in love with each other.

It was a relationship, Natsume had never experienced before. It made him happy. He wanted to shout out to the world and present them the girl who made him happy. It was not that easy of course that is why both, he and Mikan worked on their relationship to make it right – so they would be prepared when the time comes and they would be found out.

Still…

Just thinking that everything will be all right, did not help the poor guy to calm down.

He was walking around Mikan's flat, while the girl prepared snacks for her friends. She had invited them for a relaxing evening at her place to meet her boyfriend, and they friends jumped at the invitation. They were curious of who he was. Except for Sumire of course. She had known all along.

''Just calm down. They won't bite your head off or something.'' Mikan rolled her eyes over her shoulder while glancing at him every now and then. He was being ridiculous. He behaved as if this was his last day, and he was the one who suggested the whole thing.

''I am calm.'' He snapped, checking if the living room was clean.

''Of course you are. It was Mr Bear who made that hole around the table, eh?'' she joked, laughing when he glared at her. Mr Bear did not seem to mind them at all. He was lying on his back, all four apart, and his tongue hanging from his snout like he were dead. The snoring and occasional air running with his paws indicated that he might still be alive. And dreaming about running.

Natsume walked to Mikan and looked at what she was making. Dorayaki, Takoyaki, Yakitory, Dango, Onigiri and several types of vegetable dishes. He looked at her and blinked. ''Snacks?'' He smirked. ''And you're saying I'm nervous?''

Mikan blushed and nudged him. ''Hush you. Of course I'm nervous. It's going to be the first time they see you. I had to make the food grand… As an apology… Or something.''

Natsume laughed and pulled her into a strong hug, squeezing her like a teddy bear. Mikan giggled and leaned her head on his shoulder. ''We're going to get through this. It's not like they can lynch us.''

''True.'' Mikan smiled up at him and then they stared at each other again, just like it were the first time. Natsume kissed her and she responded immediately. Her hand went through his hair, while one of his hands held her around her hips and the other around her butt. His other hand soon travelled down too.

Mikan gasped, moaning, pressing herself at him. Natsume groaned, ravishing her mouth, and taking in her wonderful scent. He lifted her up and made her sit on the on the empty spot of the kitchen counter. Her legs hugged his hips and she pulled him closer, making him hotter and hotter for her.

The bell rung.

Mikan and Natsume jumped apart, hair dishevelled, lips swollen, and looked at each other in panic. Quickly they fixed themselves up, checking the hair and the clothes, and then Mikan rushed to get the door.

She opened it and smiled at the group in front of her.

''Hey! You guys are finally here!'' she hugged Sumire and the other girls, and was then pulled into a group hug by the boys. ''Come in guys. We were waiting.'' Mikan smiled and let them in, Sumire waiting with her. Mikan glanced at her, noticing the sly smirk. ''Had a nice time before we came, huh?''

Mikan blushed furiously, realizing that her best friend noticed her dishevelled state. ''Uh… I- we- no, actually-''

''Relax.'' Sumire calmed her down. ''You look beautiful.''

Mikan felt moved all of a sudden and blinked back tears, thankful for having a best friend like Sumire, who stayed with her in all times. She had to hug her one more time. ''Thank you.'' The two best friends soon separated and walked into the living room, where the others made themselves comfortable.

Mikan walked into the kitchen where Natsume was still hiding and smiled at him. ''You ready?''

Natsume nodded stiffly. ''Now I know how you felt.'' Mikan laughed and hugged him, successfully relaxing him a little. ''Come.'' She took his hand and pulled him behind her.

''Guys.'' Mikan started, gaining everyone's attention. ''This is Natsume, my boyfriend.'' The surprize was visible, but no one reacted dramatically. They all quickly took a hold on themselves, finally understanding the secrecy.

''Hey, Natsume. Nice to meet you.'' Greeted him Koko and shook his hand. The others followed soon, although Anna had a hard time to hold it together. She was quite a fan of RED and seeing the singer in front of her, casually dressed and holding Mikan's hand, did shock her.

''So, you're the lucky one.'' Sumire was the last one, holding his stare. It was like measuring who is going to win.

''Yes. That would be me.'' He half-smiled, not letting her win the staring contest. He knew who she was. And she had known for a long time who he was. And they both wanted the best for Mikan. Soon they decided they were equally strong.

''All right, Hyuuga.'' She smiled. ''I hope you know what you have.''

Natsume nodded. ''No worries. I'm aware.''

Mikan interrupted them. ''Oookey… Enough of that. I'll just bring the food.'' She gave them a pointed stare. ''Behave.''

The she started to bring those 'snacks', watching how the group interviewed Natsume about everything Mikan had to stay silent about.

''In the library? Seriously?''

Natsume shrugged. ''She had almost thrown me out for talking on my phone.''

The boys laughed, accepting him into the group.

''And how in the world did you two get together? With all that pressure from the press?''

Mikan and Natsume looked at each other. Natsume smirked proudly, and Mikan blushed. ''He uh… That concert last year on New Years, you know… That was-''

''For her. I used it to tell her…'' he continued and grinned at Mikan's shy expression.

The girls awww-ed and sighed, and the whole group started making fun of Mikan's shyness. Natsume threw his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer and kissing her front head. The group continued joking around and asking them embarrassing questions until they were not able to think anymore – Mikan made sure they were enough drunk to get confused.

And while Natsume had a hilarious conversation about football with Koko (who was already chatting nonsense, jumping from one subject to another without thinking) and Kitsuneme (who looked quite sober, but was in fact far away from that), Mikan chatted with the others, telling them things about Natsume and she that made them all laugh.

It went unsaid that everything said in here was to stay in here. They all understood.

Mikan glanced at Natsume here and there and realized he and her friends got along really well. The boys laughed and talked and drank as if they knew each other since forever. Mikan felt someone nudging her. She turned back to her friends who were grinning at her.

''Quite in love, eh?'' Misaki joked and Mikan blushed.

''Don't worry Mikan, you two seem very happy together. He is a nice guy, and he can be lucky to have you.'' Nonoko hugged her from the side, smiling. Mikan nodded. ''Yeah… He…'' she glanced back at Natsume. ''He's really… He's really great. I like him very much.'' She gazed at him dreamily and the girls laughed.

''She's seriously lost.''

''Look at her.''

''And that stare…''

They all joked, making fun of the poor girl, but creating a wonderful evening that both Mikan and Natsume did not forget. Their friends had accepted them both.

What more could they want?

* * *

AN: Dear readers, it was my Birthday on Friday, which is why I did not post anything for this story during the weekend – I'm sorry for that, I had a… wild weekend to put it like that, didn't sleep much, and I'm still feeling the consequences… Anyway, I wrote this today during my free time at work – I have to thank one of the people who gave me the idea in one of the reviews – really thanks – I wasn't sure how should the couple face Mikan's friends, so… :D


	11. Life Spent in Love

_**Till There Was You**_

* * *

_**Life Spent in Love**_

* * *

When Natsume brought Mikan home and introduced her to his family, Mikan almost cried of fear. She did not know how to behave around a family. She never had one; and even if she had met all of her friends' families, this was different. Her past boyfriends were not celebrities. She did not need to be afraid of distrust. With Natsume it was more complicated.

So that evening, half a year into their dating, when Natsume brought Mikan home for dinner with his parents and sister, Mikan felt like dying. Even Natsume looked nervous.

''I hope they will like me.'' Mikan muttered, while waiting for the door to open.

''They will. No worries. The fact that it's been long since I officially introduced someone to them is reason enough.'' Natsume admitted and clenched her hand. He only introduced one girl before Mikan to his parents if he was honest. And it had been back in high school.

When the door opened and Natsume's mother welcomed them with a tight hug, they both relaxed.

''He did tell me a few things about you, but I'm glad I get to know you more now.'' Kaoru told her while leading them both to the dining room. ''Mikan, this is my father, my sister Aoi, and her boyfriend Yuichi.'' Natsume introduced her to his family. They all shook hands with her and smiled.

''So yeah…'' Natsume started awkwardly. ''This is Mikan Sakura, my girlfriend.''

''Aww, he's shy!'' Aoi teased her brother and Natsume glared at her. ''Come on, sit down both of you. Mum's been going crazy not knowing what to cook and now she wants to present you with her master piece.'' Kaoru glared at her daughter, but smiled at Mikan. ''Don't mind her. She just can't believe that Natsume plays shy.''

Mikan noticed that Kaoru and Yuichi brought the food to the table and through conversation, she learned that the boy is a cook in training. She learned many embarrassing things about Natsume and his childhood and laughed at Mr Hyuuga's jokes. She felt very comfortable and happy to have met Natsume's family.

And she was not sad that she never had a family like this one, but it made her a little melancholic.

''So, Mikan… You're a librarian? How in the world did Natsume find you?'' Kaoru asked jokingly and Mikan and Natsume looked at each other and laughed. The family watched them curiously and with a smile, waiting for the explanation.

''Actually…'' Mikan started.

''I ran away from Koizumi.'' Natsume continued a little embarrassed.

''You ran away from your ex?'' Aoi asked in disbelieve. She was Luna's friend and knew that the blonde was a little… extravagant… but running away…

''I just came from vacation and was officially still somewhere on the islands. I walked down the street, when I saw her and her friends walk towards me. She would have recognized me, so I hid in the library.''

''I found him behind a shelf, whispering into his phone for help and he looked like he might scream when I asked him what was going on.''

''I did not. You just surprised me. And I thought you might recognize me and tell the press.''

''Yeah, yeah. He almost panicked, but then I told him to just find a book and read. So he did.'' Mikan laughed and Natsume glared at her playfully. The family watched them a little in awe, and looked at each other smiling. The two were in love.

''When did that happen?'' Mr Hyuuga wanted to know.

The pair looked up and thought about it. ''Um… A year and a half ago, I think. Maybe a few months les.'' Mikan answered.

''So you two knew each other for almost a year before you started dating?'' Kaoru asked.

Mikan blushed and smiled at Natsume. ''Yeah… It took us some time.''

Natsume took her hand and smirked. ''She could not resist my charm.''

Mikan rolled her eyes. ''Of course. It wasn't like you didn't come to the library every week ''just for books''.''

''Oh, hush you.''

The family laughed at their banter and could hardly believe how good the two got along.

''What about your family, Mikan? Natsume hasn't told us anything.'' Kaoru asked and Natsume flinched. Mikan on the other hand just smiled gently.

''My parents died when I was a child and I was brought up in an orphanage. It was a very nice place.'' She explained and before anyone would feel awkward, she started telling funny stories from her childhood and made them all laugh. Natsume watched her with a smile his mother recognized as pure love. He was completely infatuated with her. And she was glad it was like that because Mikan seemed a very nice girl.

And as the evening went on, the family accepted Mikan completely, making her feel like one of them. As the couple went home, staying at Mikan's place, they talked about the evening and were glad it went all right.

After the introduction of the family was taken care of Natsume and Mikan thought about how to make it known to their friends. Half a year later that was also taken care of.

To say that Mikan's and Natsume's relationship was normal would be a lie. They kept it hidden from the public. No one was sure if Natsume Hyuuga was take nor not, but they all had a hunch that his sudden change of attitude had something to do with a romantic partner. His new songs had so much love in them, and were so deep that it was not necessary to guess if he was in a relationship or not – it was quite obvious. However, officially, Natsume did not comment on that statement.

Which is why everyone guessed who the lucky person was. Who was the one that made Natsume Hyuuga turn into a love-sick puppy? Who made him so secretive?

Natsume Hyuuga was not a playboy; never had been. But he was never shy to tell who his current love partner was. He turned up at official parties with his current girlfriend and took her out on dates.

But not now.

He came to events with his band all smiley and happy, and went home alone. If he ever took his girlfriend out, it was done in secret.

While people read about the success of the band RED, the change in Natsume Hyuuga and guessed about his love life, Natsume and Mikan were walking hand in hand with Mr Bear on the leads down the street. Mikan was just explaining something to her boyfriend, and he laughed at what she said and at the way, she made grimaces. They looked like a normal couple, although the man wore far too many clothes to be even recognized.

It was almost spring, but the weather was still winter-like, snow was falling and the streets were white. Mr Bear loved to walk around in that kind of weather. His tail was wiggling and his ears were up, ready to take in all the sounds.

Mikan pressed her red coat closer, her braided hair tucked under her hat. Natsume watched her smile and kissed her whenever he had the chance to. She still blushed like the first time and he loved her reaction.

''Red suits you.'' He chuckled and she hit him playfully.

''Thank you, I guess…'' she replied and looked around carefully, noticing no one paid them special attention. Then she quickly turned to Natsume and pressed her lips to his in a short but sensual kiss. He was surprised for a second, but his hand already found the back of her head. She pulled away almost right away, this time watching him flush a little, his eyes big and shiny, and in love. She grinned.

''Got you now, eh?'' she giggled and pulled him behind her like a child. He followed her with a goofy smile, still in daze. Bear ignoring their playful attitude.

''Man… I'm completely crazy for you.'' He blurrted out and flinched at his own confession. But Mikan did not make a big deal out of it. She just looked at him with a smile, still walking, her cheeks red, and pecked his cheek. ''I'm crazy for you too…'' she giggled at his expression and pulled him behind her again. They ran like children, Mr Bear running too and hid in an empty side street, where they snogged each other like teenagers.

Eventually they calmed down a little, laughing at their own behaviour and continued their walk around. It was a wonderful day and they enjoyed it to the fullest. They did not go out to eat, because anyone would recognize Natsume there, so they usually had dinner at Mikan's and on rare occasions at Natsume's.

They were not able to spend much free time like that with Natsume's career obligations, but that just made them even more in love.

Maybe one day, they would not walk around in secret and as girlfriend-boyfriend. Maybe one day, she would wear a ring on her finger with his name on it. And maybe one day there would not be just the two of them and their pets; maybe there would be a toddler in Mikan's arms, having his eyes and her hair. Maybe one day.

But that would wait a few years. They still had a lot of things to experience. They still had time. And he would enjoy it to the fullest. That, he knew.


	12. Till There Was You

_**Till There Was You**_

* * *

_**Till There Was You**_

* * *

As Natsume and his mates were preparing backstage for the concert, his mind was drifting towards Mikan the whole time. He should be with her and not here, but he could not just walk away from his concert. Still, he played with the idea, imagining how the audience and his manager would react.

The press would run crazy and they would eventually find out why he ran like a maniac.

His phone vibrated and he jumped, looking at the message. His bandmates chuckled at his anxiety, patting him on the shoulder. ''Don't worry, man. She can't run away.''

Natsume ignored them and smiled at the message.

_Good luck my love** Make it big, so it'll be big news :) Can't wait to see you…_

Oh, he could not wait to see her too. In the state that she was…

The door of their backstage room opened and the organizers walked in. ''You ready guys? We're starting in five.'' The men stood up and made their way through the door. Natsume was the last one, still typing his message.

_I will :) Love you too* Wait for me…_

Then he walked up to the stage. Before the lights went on, he felt the rush of adrenalin through his veins, his heart already feeling tighter with the familiar expectation. He loved his job. Moreover, he loved the girl who decided to be with him.

He closed his eyes.

The drums started the beat.

The lights went on.

The music hit the floor and Natsume opened his eyes, smiling at the audience. He lifted his arm in greeting, holding the mic in it, not saying anything - and the mass of people went wild.

* * *

After the concert, Natsume received the message.

He and the band rushed through the hospital corridor. Nurses and doctors moved from their way, and as they finally arrived in the right waiting room, Sumire, Ruka and Hotaru were already there, walking around nervously. Sumire was the worse of them. She had big, dark circles under her eyes, her hair was messy, and she wore wrinkled clothes. When she looked up and noticed Natsume, she smiled tiredly. ''Hey… It's started.''

Natsume stopped in front of her out of breath. ''Yeah, I got the message. Can I go in? How far is she? I knew I should have cancelled the concert.''

Ruka and Hotaru came to him, patting his shoulder. ''Don't worry, she's strong enough to do this alone. Not that you could help her in anyway.'' Hotaru smirked, but she also looked tired.

Natsume chuckled and nudged her. ''I kind of did this to her. I think I deserve a few broken fingers while she would hold my hand. Anyway, I'm going i-''

The door of Mikan's room opened and out walked a nurse, wearing a big smile. ''Has Hyuuga-san arriwed?''

Natsume practically jumped towards her. ''Can I see her? I know I'm late, but the traffic-''

''Yes, yes, you may see her. She wanted to wait for you, but…'' the nurse shrugged. ''You can't control that.''

Natsume was already rushing through the door and stopped right in front of her bed. Her hair was in a messy plait, she looked tired and weak, but she was smiling brightly at the little bundle in her arms. She heard him walk in and looked up at him with bright eyes.

''Hey, daddy. Come closer.'' She invited him, and Natsume could not take it anymore. He felt so many emotions in him he thought he might die. Tears made their way down his cheek, but he quickly brushed them off, smiling at his beloved two girls, and walked towards them.

He kissed Mikan, careful to not do anything to the baby, and then kissed the little girl's front head. ''Mikan, she is so beautiful…'' he whispered and played with the baby's little fingers.

''Do you want to hold her?'' she asked him, and Natsume gazed at her. ''Yes, please.'' Mikan showed him how to hold her and the nurse that walked back in helped him. Sumire, Ruka, Hotaru and the band also came in, smiling brightly. Sumire was crying like a child, and rushed to hug her best friend.

While Natsume showed around his little daughter to the others, the two best friends cried. ''I'm so happy for you, Mikan.''

''Thank you, Sumire.'' Mikan hugged her back, still a little weak from all the hours she had behind her. Hotaru joined them, also hugging her friend. ''Hey, mommy. How do you feel?''

''Fantastic, but a little tired.'' Mikan admitted, smiling as she watched Natsume walk around with the child. The boys finally came to congratulate her, and a few minutes later, the Hyuugas rushed through the door.

Aoi squealed and hugged Mikan, before she rushed towards the little bundle in Natsume's arms. Yuichi and Natsume's parents walked towards Mikan and hugged her. ''This is so wonderful, Mikan.'' Kaoru cried, kissing Mikan's front-head. ''How do you feel, honey?''

''Very happy.'' Mikan smiled, blinking tiredly.

Kaoru chuckled and walked towards Natsume. ''Congratulation, Nat. She's beautiful.''

Natsume grinned proudly, kissing his daughter again. ''Thanks, mom. She really is. She looks just like Mikan.''

The group kept admiring the child until the nurse asked them to leave. Mikan was very tired and she just needed a night of sleep. Once the couple was alone with their daughter, they gushed at and kissed their child, happy to have her.

''We're parents, Natsume…'' Mikan whispered, still not believing what she was holding in her arms. Natsume kissed her and nodded. ''We're mommy and daddy now.'' He smiled at his girlfriend, deciding that now was the right time to ask her. ''And now that you're a mom… Would you like to be a wife too?''

Mikan looked at him in surprise, shocked to have heard him ask her. They had talked about this already, agreeing that they don't really need to marry each other. It was an old thing to do, and they agreed that love does not need a signature on a paper to be true.

''You want to marry me?'' she asked in disbelieve.

Natsume shrugged. ''Well yes. But if you don't want us to marry, that's all right. I still think it's just a paper, but if you want my surname, then I'd be happy to share it with you.''

Mikan stared at him. Both of them were modern people, not thinking much of marriage, and now that he had asked her, she thought to herself that it would not be a bad thing actually. They already lived together, they have a child together, and more important, in the five years they had been together, they loved each other even more than at the beginning.

She would not mind making it official.

She smiled gently. ''All right. Let's share your surname, but I want mine to stay on the papers. Which means I'll be Mikan Sakura Hyuug- mphhf.'' He snogged her of course, silencing her for the next few minutes.

Mikan laughed as he pulled away and hugged him. ''I seriously never imagined we would do this.''

''Me neither.'' Natsume admitted. ''But I just thought that… I don't know… I don't even have a ring… I think I'm behaving like a caveman.'' He chuckled and Mikan patted his hand. ''Yeah, you do, but it's not like you didn't before.'' She giggled at his playful glare.

''Do we have to set a date?'' he finally asked.

''Don't know. We could do it during summer.''

''Or in autumn. The weather is better then.''

''How about now?'' came another voice from the door, and both Natsume and Mikan looked up in surprise. The nurse who helped Mikan was standing there with a few papers and smiling at them.

''I'm sorry to have interrupted you, but I need to bring the girl to her bed, and check the mother.'' She walked towards them and sat down on the chair next to the bed. ''You can marry here if you want. You can sign the papers and that's it.'' While she talked, she took a look at Mikan and measured her blood pressure.

''Seriously?'' they both asked in disbelieve.

''Yes, although, you would need witnesses. The nurses could do the job, but I think you'd want your family or friends to do the job.'' She explained and took a look at the baby.

Natsume and Mikan looked at each other.

''Sumire would kill me.''

''So would Ruka.''

They grinned at each other. Natsume fished out his phone and called Ruka and Hotaru. Mikan searched for hers on the nightstand next to the bed and called Sumire.

Half an hour later, the grinning nurse brought the papers to the bed, and Mikan and Natsume signed them, as well as a chuckling Ruka and a crying Sumire.

Hotaru was shaking her head in disbelieve, but smiling. ''You two are really crazy.''

''Marriage and a child in one night.'' Sumire sobbed, hugging her best friend. ''And I look like a disaster. We're not making photos!''

They all laughed, but still made photos.

The nurse caught them all looking very tired, but very happy. Natsume was crouching next to Mikan's bed, hugging her around her shoulder, while Mikan held the baby. Sumire was standing crying next to Mikan, her hair still a mess, but a soft smile on her lips. Ruka and Hotaru were standing next to Natsume, both grinning. The nurse giggled and gave Mikan a small bouquet and congratulated the young pair. There were several other nurses and doctors peeking through the door, and grinning at the happy event that took place during the long night.

Mikan and Natsume kissed and grinned at each other. ''Hey hubby.''

''Hey, wifey.'' Natsume nuzzled his nose with hers. ''I can't believe this. I hope you know they're going to kill us.''

Mikan laughed. ''Especially your mother. She's going to flip out.''

''And your friends…'' Natsume groaned.

''And your manager.''

''Kami-sama… Forgot about him…''

''We'll just have to repeat it then. Maybe on our honeymoon.'' Mikan smiled, making Natsume smile at her. ''Yeah… And I'll buy a ring…''

''But not one that costs much, all right?''

''Always saving, you…''

''Of course. If you buy me a ring that makes me look like your possession, then I'll buy you one, and you won't be allowed to say anything against it.''

Natsume snorted. ''All right, all right. We both buy one, but not expensive ones.''

The couple heard laughing around them and looked up.

''You guys argue about the price of the rings? Seriously?'' Sumire shook her head.

''Don't mind them Permy. They're modern people. I won't be surprised if they marry each other again at the sea, wearing summer clothes, just family and friends invited.'' Commented Hotaru.

She was right.

End.


End file.
